Minister Atishi faces Opposition backlash over satyagraha

New Delhi, June 25

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva wished Atishi good health after she was hospitalised due to health concerns on Tuesday. However, criticising her four-day ‘satyagraha’, he questioned the legitimacy of her protest.

“The essence of satyagraha is to fight for the truth. From Mahatma Gandhi to Anna Hazare, satyagrahis fasted to reveal the truth, not to hide administrative failures, as Atishi intended to do,” said Sachdeva. He further added, “We’ve been saying since June 21 that you can’t do satyagraha because you have no connection with truth, Atishi.”

Similarly, the Delhi Congress, which had been in an alliance with the AAP until the recent Lok Sabha elections, criticised Atishi’s strike. Anuj Attrey, spokesperson for the Delhi Congress, said, “This strike was not at all required since as a minister you are the authority figure. So against whom were you exactly protesting?”

Attrey added, “You should have taken a decision on your own and found a solution. The public has put their trust in you to figure out the solutions, it is your own government.” He said, “It clearly shows that you failed to do your duty and the strike was nothing but an attempt to hide that failure. You stopped all your work and sat on strike.”

He highlighted the Congress’ previous tenure, saying, “The Congress had been in power in the Capital for 15 years, and even then, there were issues of water scarcity and flooding, but we never saw any minister giving up on their work and sitting on a strike.”

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav criticised both BJP and AAP governments for failing to address the ongoing water crisis in Delhi, leaving residents dependent on rainfall to meet their basic needs.

Weeks without water have exacerbated the situation, while political parties engage in public spats rather than finding a solution.

Yadav slammed Atishi’s protest against Haryana Government as a mere “public stunt” that did nothing to alleviate the crisis. “The so-called dharna to get water from Haryana was only a public stunt,” he stated.

“The BJP is fishing in troubled waters to heighten the water crisis,” he added.

The AAP government, which came to power with promises of free power and water, is now under fire for its inability to deliver even basic water supplies.

“If the Delhi Government was solely depending on water from Haryana to supply free water to a section of Delhiites, Kejriwal’s free water scheme was a big sham. Let alone free water, people are getting no water at all,” Yadav said.

He added, “The poor have been forced to spend Rs 100 daily to buy drinking water bottles.”

Criticising the BJP MPs from Delhi for their inaction, Yadav said, “The people of Delhi elected seven BJP MPs to Lok Sabha hoping that they would come to the aid of Delhiites during crisis, but the BJP MPs did not play any role in solving the water crisis by taking up the issue with the BJP government at the Centre.”

Besides water crisis, Yadav expressed concerns over environmental issues, particularly the illegal cutting of trees in ridge area.

‘Don’t hide administrative failures’

The essence of satyagraha is to fight for the truth. From Mahatma Gandhi to Anna Hazare, satyagrahis fasted to reveal the truth, not to hide administrative failures, as Atishi intended to do. — Virendra Sachdeva, Delhi BJP president

‘Who was she protesting against?’

This strike was not at all required since as a minister you are the authority figure. So against whom were you exactly protesting? — Anuj Attrey, spokesperson for Delhi Congress