Won’t let one drop of water go out of Punjab: Sukhbir on SYL
Saying that Mann has taken the prestige of the CM’s post to a new low, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal added, “Mann was taken to Haryana and projected as subservient to Kejriwal”
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday condemned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener, Arvind Kejriwal, for asserting that water from SYL canal should be given to Haryana from Punjab and also slammed chief minister Bhagwant Mann for “endorsing the anti-Punjab statement”.
Expressing “shock” at the manner in which Kejriwal was ready to “sell out the interests of Punjab for electoral gains” in Haryana as well as the “abject surrender of Punjab’s interests by Mann with the only purpose of saving his chair”, the SAD chief said, “This sell-out of the state’s interests by a party which was given an overwhelming majority of 92 seats is unparalleled in the history of Punjab.”
Saying that Mann has taken the prestige of the CM’s post to a new low, Sukhbir added, “Mann was taken to Haryana and projected as subservient to Kejriwal”.
“Punjabis can never imagine their elected chief minister signing off their river waters, but Bhagwant Mann is getting ready to do this just to remain in power,” the SAD chief said.
Issuing a warning to Mann not to attend any meeting on SYL with the Haryana government, Sukhbir said, “Negotiations are done when you have something to give away.”
“Earlier, Mann was instrumental in weakening Punjab’s case vis-à-vis Haryana by not protesting the latter’s demand to get land allotted for a new Vidhan Sabha complex in Chandigarh,” he said.
“We will not let one drop of water go out of Punjab,” Sukhbir added.
Answering media queries, he said this was not the first time that Kejriwal had made his intentions clear on the SYL issue. “Earlier, the Delhi CM had issued a statement saying Haryana and Delhi had equal rights over SYL waters,” he added.
Bajwa asks Mann not to trivialise sensitive issues
Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa on Wednesday asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann not to trivialise the sensitive issues pertaining to the state.
Bajwa said the Union government’s assertion in the apex court that Punjab was not cooperating in resolving the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute with Haryana must not be misconstrued as if the Punjab government was not serious on it. SYL, river waters, transfer of Chandigarh and Punjabi speaking areas and due representation in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) were long pending issues which must be resolved on top priority, he said in a statement.