Delhi Water Minister and senior AAP leader Atishi on Friday began her indefinite fast amid the city’s ongoing water crisis to press on her demand, asking for water from Haryana.
Before sitting on the ‘Water Satyagraha’, she paid homage to the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial Raj Ghat, where she was also accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal, AAP RS MP Sanjay Singh, Delhi Minister and senior party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj.
Atishi wrote on social media platform X that decades ago, Bapu had adopted the path of Satyagraha for the country and for the rights of the common people. ”Today, following his path, I am sitting on a hunger strike to ensure that the people of Delhi get their share of water from Haryana. This Satyagraha will continue until my people of Delhi get their rightful share of water.”
The AAP leaders and CM’s wife were also present as the water minister began her fast.
Atishi while addressing people at Jungpura’s Bhogal, where she started her fasting said, “Being the Water Minister of Delhi, I made every possible effort to get Delhi’s rightful share of water from the BJP government of Haryana, but the Haryana government did not give Delhi its rightful share of water.”
She further alleged that the Haryana government did not allow the water coming from Himachal Pradesh to reach Delhi, and also accused the neighboring state of not providing water to Delhi despite the Supreme Court’s order.
She added that she had also written a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to get Delhi its rightful share of water from Haryana.
Atishi further claimed that for the last two days, the Haryana government has stopped 120 MGD of water that was to be released for Delhi, and that is why she is now sitting on an indefinite hunger strike, she added.
Delhi CM’s wife also read out a message from her husband , who is presently lodged in Tihar jail, and has expressed that Delhi Water Minister Atishi’s ‘tapasya’ would be successful.
In his message, Kejriwal said, this time the entire country is reeling under extreme heat, and in such a situation people must help one another.
He further said that Delhi receives water from neighbouring states, and in such hot weather, people feel more thirsty and need more water.
He said Delhi expected that the states would help and give more water, however, he alleged that Haryana is not even releasing Delhi’s rightful share.
”Whenever there is an emergency no one sees which government is ruling which state and go on to help each other,” he said, claiming further that the Haryana government did not care.
“Best wishes to Atishi from my side, may God protect her,” Ms Kejriwal read out her husband’s message.