New Delhi [India], June 21, 2024 – In a dramatic turn of events, Delhi’s Water Minister Atishi launched an indefinite hunger strike on Friday, accusing the Haryana government of withholding Delhi’s share of water. The political spectacle unfolded at Bhogal, near Jangpura, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh and other party members rallying behind her.
Atishi’s protest was marked by a symbolic tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat before she settled in for her hunger strike. The tension escalated as Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, conveyed a message from her husband, who is currently under judicial custody. “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,” she stated, expressing the CM’s anguish over the water crisis.
Adding to the political drama, the Delhi High Court on Friday stayed the trial court order granting bail to CM Kejriwal in the liquor policy case. Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain announced that a judgement will be delivered in two to three days, keeping the CM behind bars for the time being.
Atishi’s announcement of her ‘Satyagraha’ and indefinite fast was a bold move to highlight the water shortage affecting 28 lakh residents in Delhi. “Despite every possible effort, the Haryana government is not providing full water to Delhi,” she claimed on X (formerly Twitter). “Mahatma Gandhi has taught that if one has to fight against injustice, one must adopt the path of Satyagraha.”
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wasted no time in criticizing the AAP government over the water crisis. BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj alleged that the crisis was “orchestrated” by the AAP to “encourage corruption.” She told ANI, “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.”
Swaraj further accused the Delhi government of indulging in theatrics rather than taking real action. “Delhi is in a dire state. The entire city is parched and the Kejriwal government is indulging only in theatrics. Delhi minister Atishi, instead of working on the ground and taking any adequate steps, is now indulging in mere theatrics and is now threatening Delhiites with anshan (fast).”
As the political tug-of-war continues, Delhiites are left grappling with a severe water shortage, caught in the crossfire of a high-stakes political drama.
