AAP MLAs allegedly assault Delhi Chief Secretary in CM's presence
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash was allegedly assaulted by AAP MLAs in a meeting at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, sparking protests on Tuesday and threats of a pen-down strike in government offices in the capital.
The ruling AAP denied the allegation even as the IAS Association Secretary, Manisha Saxena, complained to Lt. Governor Anil Baijal, claiming that the attack on Monday night was a "planned criminal conspiracy" against the top bureaucrat.
Speaking to the media after the meeting with Baijal, Saxena said they have asked the Lt. Governor to take strict action against the accused MLAs.
She also said the officers would work on Tuesday with a black band as a mark of protest and that the association has also filed a police complaint.
The meeting was on "some advertisements by the Delhi government which were in violation of the Supreme Court's guidelines".
Saxena, however, refused to name the MLAs who attacked the Chief Secretary.
But Delhi government spokesperson Nagendar Sharma denied the allegation saying the Chief Secretary was making false accusations at the behest of the BJP.
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Kejriwal responds to EC, says water received from Haryana 'extremely poisonous' for human health
New Delhi (PTI): AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday responded to the Election Commission notice over his claim the Haryana government was "mixing poison" in Yamuna, and said raw water received from the BJP-ruled state in the recent past has been "highly contaminated and extremely poisonous" for human health.
In the 14-page reply to the Election Commission, the former Delhi chief minister said if such "toxic water" is allowed to be consumed by human population it would lead to grave health hazard and fatality.
Kejriwal said he only wanted to highlight the "urgent public health crisis" due to the quality of drinking water in the city, and he violated no law or Model Code of Conduct, hence the issue should be closed.
He said the "alleged statements" attributed to him were made as it was his public duty to red flag the "severe toxicity and contamination" of raw water received from the BJP-ruled state.
Following a complaint filed by the BJP over the matter, the Election Commission issued the notice to Kejriwal on Tuesday, giving him time till Wednesday 8 pm to furnish his reply.
Kejriwal also said the ammonia level in raw water received from Haryana was so "extreme" that water treatment plants in Delhi are unable to process and bring it down to safe and permissible limits for human consumption.
Following their party chief's response, the AAP issued a statement, saying, "It is an undisputed fact that there is 7 ppm ammonia in Yamuna water, A Delhi Jal Board CEO letter admits toxicity is 700 percent higher than the permissible limit."
In his response to the EC, Kejriwal also alleged that Haryana's "failure" in controlling pollution in Yamuna has resulted in an "unprecedented public health crisis" in Delhi. He alleged "indiscriminate" discharge of industrial waste in the river by the state.
The AAP supremo said Haryana is an upper-riparian state and Delhi, ruled by his party, has no role to play in the high level of toxic water being made available to the city.
"Due to such high level of toxic content in the raw water supplied by Haryana, the water treatment plants in Delhi are operating below capacity and there is a shortage of treated water in Delhi," he claimed.
Saying that access to clean water is a basic human right, the AAP chief asserted that raising this critical issue cannot be considered an offence.
"The said statement by no stretch of the imagination can be termed inciting enmity between different groups or prejudicial to national integration," he said.
On the contrary, the substance and purpose of these statements are rooted solely in the public interest, aimed at highlighting a legitimate civic concern that requires urgent institutional intervention, he asserted.
He requested the EC to intervene in the matter and issue appropriate directions to Haryana so safe water is made available to the people of Delhi.
