Delhi’s Water Minister Atishi Starts Hunger Strike Over Water Crisis

On June 21, Delhi’s Water Minister Atishi began an indefinite hunger strike, accusing the Haryana government of not releasing Delhi’s share of water. This has affected 28 lakh residents in Delhi. Atishi was joined by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh and other party members at Bhogal, near Jangpura.

Before starting her hunger strike, Atishi paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. She stated, “Despite every possible effort, the Haryana government is not providing full water to Delhi. Mahatma Gandhi has taught that if one has to fight against injustice, one must adopt the path of Satyagraha.”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently in judicial custody, expressed his concern through a message read by his wife, Sunita Kejriwal. She said, “Kejriwal says that when I see on TV, the way Delhi people are suffering due to water scarcity, it hurts me. I hope Atishi’s ‘tapasya’ will succeed and residents of Delhi will get relief. I wish all the best to Atishi, may God protect her.”

Meanwhile, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj accused the AAP government of orchestrating the water crisis to encourage corruption. She stated, “It almost seems that this crisis, which is not a natural crisis, has been orchestrated by the Kejriwal government to encourage their own corruption as well as to encourage the illegal tanker mafia.”