Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav visited Delhi water minister Atishi at LNJP Hospital on Wednesday morning. During his visit, he expressed solidarity with the ailing minister and the AAP-led Delhi government.

Yadav criticized the central government, alleging that it is not providing necessary assistance and is creating obstacles in the smooth functioning of the Delhi government. He praised Atishi for her courage and dedication to solving the problems faced by the people of Delhi.

“Atishi is brave and knows how to fight for the people. She has been fighting to solve the problems of Delhi’s citizens. Since the BJP government came to power at the Centre, the problems faced by chief ministers have increased. The central government is not providing the required assistance and has been most unjust to Arvind Kejriwal,” Yadav stated after meeting Atishi.

He further accused the central government of discriminating against the AAP-led Delhi government and Kejriwal, alleging that they are creating obstacles and harassing him. “He wants to work for the people of Delhi, but the central government is creating obstacles and harassing him. When he was about to get some relief, he was trapped again in a fake case to prevent him from moving forward,” Yadav added. A response from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is awaited.

Atishi was hospitalized on Tuesday morning due to worsening health conditions following her indefinite hunger strike demanding adequate water for the national capital amid scarcity. She began her hunger strike on Friday, June 21, demanding the release of 100 million gallons per day (MGD) of water.