India News | SAD, Cong Slam Punjab CM over SYL Canal Issue

Chandigarh, Sep 7 (PTI) The Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday slammed Punjab Chief Minister Mann over the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal dispute with Haryana after he accompanied party leader Arvind Kejriwal to the neighbouring state.

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that Kejriwal had "deliberately planned" Mann's visit, just a day after a hearing in the Supreme Court over the decades-old dispute.

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The Shiromani Akali Dal slammed Mann for "weakening" the state's position over the issue. Mann in Hisar had said he has no hesitation in meeting Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar over the issue.

"While it is the discretion of the chief minister to choose where he should go, the political wisdom demanded that he should have avoided a visit to Hisar today at least and that too in the company of Arvind Kejriwal," said Warring in a statement.

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He said Punjab is embroiled in a "do or die" legal battle with Haryana on the SYL issue, which is a matter of "life and death" for the state's farmers, particularly the Malwa belt.

Kejriwal was on a two-day visit to Haryana in connection with the launch of his party's "Make India No. 1 Campaign". Punjab CM Mann was also accompanying him.

Warring apprehended that Kejriwal might well have planned Mann's Hisar visit “deliberately”.

"By taking Mann along, Kejriwal wanted to convey to the people of Haryana that the Punjab chief minister is at his beck and call and he can make him do anything," he said.

Warring said Mann's statement in Hisar on the SYL issue was not encouraging either.

"He should have been clear, categorical and unambiguous that Punjab does not have any water to spare and it could have sent a right signal, but he tried to be vague rather suggesting that water can be shared," said Warring.

Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa has demanded an all-party meeting on the issue of the SYL canal.

"Punjab has the first riparian as well as constitutional rights over its river waters that both Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann must understand," said Bajwa.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal forewarned CM Mann not to attend any meeting on the SYL issue with the Haryana government.

"Negotiations are done when you have something to give away," said Badal.

He also asserted that discussions could be held with a riparian state and that Haryana was a non-riparian state and had no right to claim share in the river waters of Punjab.

He accused Mann of "weakening" Punjab's position on a second core issue concerning the sentiments of its Punjabis.

"Earlier, Mann has been instrumental in weakening Punjab's case vis a vis Haryana by not protesting the latter's demand to get land allotted for it for a new Vidhan Sabha complex in Chandigarh," said Badal.

Condemning Mann's "cowardly actions" and the manner in which he had "backstabbed" Punjabis, Badal said, "The SAD has steadfastly protected Punjab's river waters and will continue to do so."

"We are firm in our belief that the state does not have one drop of water to spare. We will not let one drop of water go out of the State to Haryana," said Badal.

CM Mann in Hisar said he has no hesitation in meeting Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar over the SYL issue. Stating that Haryana is the younger brother of Punjab, Mann said rather than making the two states fight against each other, a solution should be found out.

The Centre on Tuesday had informed the Supreme Court the Punjab government is "not cooperating" in resolving the SYL canal dispute between the state and Haryana.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)