Amid the escalating row between Delhi and Haryana over the water crisis in the national capital, Delhi Water Minister Atishi announced on Friday that she will begin an indefinite fast until the city receives its "rightful share" of water from Haryana.
Atishi stated that despite every possible effort, the Haryana government is not providing full water to Delhi, resulting in 28 lakh people not getting water. To address this issue, she said she will step on the path of 'Satyagraha' and start an 'indefinite fast'.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader plans to go to Raj Ghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, after which she will commence her fast at Bhogal, Jangpura at noon.
Taking to X, she declared, "Water shortage continues in Delhi. Even today 28 lakh Delhiites are not getting water. 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."
She added, "I will start 'Water Satyagraha' from today. I will go to Raj Ghat at 11 am and pay tribute to Gandhiji. I will start an indefinite fast at Bhogal, Jangpura from 12 o'clock. I will remain on fast until the people of Delhi get their rightful share of water from Haryana."
Atishi had previously announced on Wednesday that if Delhi does not get its "rightful" share of water by June 21, she would be forced to begin a 'Satyagraha'. This announcement has sparked reactions from various political figures.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has continued to criticise the Delhi government over the water crisis. BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj alleged that the crisis has been "orchestrated" by the AAP government 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."
She further accused the Delhi government of indulging in theatrics rather than working on the ground to solve the problem. "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 instead of taking any adequate steps is now indulging in mere theatrics and is now threatening Delhiites with anshan (fast)," she added.
For almost a month now, Delhi has been grappling with a severe water crisis amid scorching heat. Residents in multiple parts of the city are forced to queue up to collect water from tankers. Frustrated by the situation, they have been demanding a resolution to their problems.
The political row over the water crisis has continued to intensify, with BJP and AAP at loggerheads. Even Congress, which contested the Lok Sabha elections in alliance with AAP, has criticised the Delhi government on this issue. Congress' Delhi president Devender Yadav termed the situation a "deceit" with the people.
As Atishi begins her indefinite fast, the focus remains on whether the government will take steps to address the water crisis and provide relief to the residents of Delhi.
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