Atishi begins hunger strike for more water; BJP calls it a farce

Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi’s water minister Atishi on Friday began an indefinite hunger strike demanding that Haryana release Delhi’s “rightful” share of water. The national capital is suffering from acute water shortage. The minister alleges that BJP-ruled Haryana has restricted water supply to the city, directly affecting nearly 2.8 million people.

Several senior AAP politicians, including Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, were present at the launch of Ms Atishi’s fast, which she called ‘Paani Satyagraha’.

Mrs Kejriwal read out a message from her husband saying that the people of Delhi had nowhere to turn to face the water crisis because the neighbouring state of Haryana had refused to help.

The message said: “We had hoped to get more support from the neighbouring states during this difficult time, but even during this difficult time, the Haryana government has reduced the daily water supply to Delhi. Delhi is thirsty. Where should the people of Delhi go?”

The Chief Minister further said, “It is true that Delhi and Haryana are ruled by different parties, but is this the time for politics? If there is an earthquake somewhere in the country or there is a flood somewhere, then we do not see which party is in power there. The whole country is involved in the relief work; only then are we one country. But the Haryana government does not care about it.”

Bansuri Swaraj, MP for New Delhi, described Ms Atishi’s hunger strike as a “sham” and an attempt to cover up her inefficiency as water minister.

“No relief”

Addressing reporters from the protest site in Bhogal in southeast Delhi, the minister said Delhi depends on a water supply of 1,005 million gallons per day (MGD), of which Haryana was supposed to supply 613 MGD to the city. However, in the last two weeks, the state has supplied only 513 MGD of water.

“As Delhi Water Minister, I have made every possible effort to get Delhi’s rightful share of water. However, the BJP government of Haryana has failed to provide it. In this regard, I have also written a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him to get Delhi’s rightful share of water from the Haryana government. Instead of providing relief, the Haryana government has cut the supply by 120 MGD in the last two days,” she said.

“Warnings ignored”

Ms. Swaraj said the Delhi Jal Board should have prepared for the water crisis in advance as the meteorological department had repeatedly warned of the intense heat. The New Delhi MP also asked why the Delhi government had not asked the Punjab government for water as the AAP is in power in both the states.

In a statement, the AAP rejected Ms Swaraj’s allegations and accused the MP of trying to “trivialize the situation by asking unfounded questions”.

“Delhi’s water minister has made every effort to contain the water crisis. He has met the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, requested the intervention of the Prime Minister and the Union Jal Shakti Minister and sought help from the Chief Minister of Haryana, among others,” it said.

“However, none of these politicians offered help. Left with no other option, she is now campaigning for a ‘satyagraha’ to ensure that Delhi’s 2.8 million residents get their rightful share of water,” the statement added.

The BJP also said the AAP’s senior politician had chosen to hold her protest in Bhogal in view of the assembly elections next year as the minister wants to contest from Jangpura constituency.

However, AAP sources said, “We were afraid that they (police) would impose a ban on us under Section 144 if we opted for a larger site. So we decided to hold the protest in a residential area.”