Arvind Kejriwal summoned by Haryana court over 'Yamuna water poisoned' claim

A Haryana court has issued summons to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his claim that the state government was "poisoning" the Yamuna river to disrupt the supply of water to the national capital.

In Short

• Court summons Arvind Kejriwal over Yamuna poisoning claims
• Asks former Chief Minister to appear before it on February 17
• Haryana Chief Minister sips Yamuna water, says no poison found

Arvind Kejriwal is in fresh legal trouble as a Haryana court has issued summons to the former Delhi Chief Minister over his claim that the state government was "poisoning" the Yamuna to disrupt Delhi's water supply.

The court has directed Kejriwal to appear before it on February 17. If he fails to do so, action will be taken against him as per the rule of law, the notice issued to Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal has been asked to present the reason behind his allegations and also furnish a report further corroborating his claims that that the Haryana government was poisoning the Yamuna water.

The Election Commission had earlier sought proof from Kejriwal of his claim. The poll body asked the former Chief Minister to submit his response by 8 pm today.

Amid an escalating row over his allegations ahead of the Delhi polls, Kejriwal told India Today on Wednesday that the Yamuna water in Delhi had a hazardous level of ammonia at 7 parts per million (PPM).

Kejriwal asserted that 7 PPM of ammonia was equivalent to "poison" and reiterated his allegations that the BJP-led government in Haryana was contaminating the river, putting the lives of Delhi residents at risk.

Intensifying his attack, the former Chief Minister dared Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to drink the Yamuna water in public.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini responded to Kejriwal's claims and took a sip of the Yamuna water on Wednesday, with a video also surfacing online.

He also claimed that samples of the Yamuna water had been sent for tests but no poison was found and further accused Kejriwal of lying "all his life".

Rahul Gandhi, however, flipped the script on Kejriwal, challenging the former Chief Minister to drink the very Yamuna water he claimed was poisoned. Taking a swipe at Kejriwal's unfulfilled election promises, the Raebareli MP reminded him of his pledge to clean the river and dared him to prove its purity by drinking it himself.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, launched an attack on the AAP chief while addressing a gathering in Delhi. Accusing the New Delhi MLA of insulting the country with his remarks, PM Modi said that he drank the same Yamuna water as every other Delhi citizen.

"Are the people of Haryana different from those in Delhi? Are relatives of those living in Haryana not residing in Delhi? Can the people of Haryana poison the water their own people drink?" he said.

PM Modi said the Yamuna water sent by Haryana is consumed by everyone living in Delhi, including himself. "Yamuna water is consumed by judges, diplomats as well as the poor. How can one think that Haryana will poison it to kill Modi?," he asked.