The old issue of sharing river water is back to haunt the agrarian States of Punjab and Haryana after Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti promised to prepare a roadmap for water sharing in the next 45 days. An angry Capt Amarinder Singh, State’s former Chief Minister, blamed his successor Parkash Singh Badal for sacrificing Punjab’s welfare for his self interests and warned him of possible deterioration in the law and order situation even if a drop flowed into the other State.
Congress Deputy leader in the lok Sabha Capt Amarinder minced no words to say that Badal was “giving everything for his family and self-interests”.
He also warned the Central Government, and also the SAD-BJP combine government in Punjab against “robbing Punjab of its waters”.
His word of caution came a day after the Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti had assured Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar that the Centre would prepare a roadmap within 45 days for finding a solution to the Sutlej-Yamuna link (SYl) canal and other inter-State issues with Punjab.
She opined that a meeting of both Chief Ministers would be convened soon for the same, and the issue could “easily be resolved amicably” as BJP is part of both State Governments.
“Who’s Uma Bharti to issue such a statement that within 45 days they would bring about the settlementIJ...I am sure she was not aware of the A-B-C of this issue…When the pending in the Supreme Court, who is she to resolve the same,” questioned a peeved Capt Amarinder.
Also taking on Badal for his silence over Bharti’s statement, Capt Amarinder accused him of never caring about State’s interests. “Badal would be in dilemma…if he would not watch the State’s interest, we will do that,” he said while agreeing that there was “100 percent” collusion between the Centre and the Badals over the issue.
In 1981, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone of Sutlej Yamuna link (SYl) canal at Kapoori village in Patiala district to carry 6,500 cusecs of water to Haryana. The move was opposed by the Akalis.
later in 2004, the then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder brought ‘Punjab Termination of Agreements Act 2004’, annulling all inter-state agreements signed by Punjab on sharing Ravi and Beas waters, which was unanimously passed by the Punjab Assembly in 2004.
Describing that decision as “hurried, but also necessary”, Capt Amarinder said” We were fighting against time then. We have been asked to hand over the SYl canal to CPWD within five days, and within those days we drafted the bill, cabinet passed it and later it was passed by the Assembly.”
“If it had been handed over at the time, Punjab would have been destroyed,” he said.
“Without caring about the political consequences and risking my government, we enacted the Punjab Termination of Water Agreement Act to save Punjab’s waters. And now Badal for the obvious reasons is mortgaging these interests which we will not allow at any cost,” he said.
He apprehended that the disturbed conditions may further lead to the serious law and order situation in the State.
“Badal should sit down and ask the Centre about this…Now, Badal has to decide whether he want his chair or Punjab’s welfare,” said Capt Amarinder.
Both Amarinder and Jakhar said that they will not be surprised if Badal agreed to the terms and conditions of the SYl canal “as he has already shown his weakness by going with BJP in supporting the anti-farmer amendments in the land Acquisition Bill in Parliament. Although, the Chief Minister has adopted a contrary posture.”
Akali Dal has all along been blaming the Capt Amarinder -led Congress Government in Punjab for violating riparian principle, and promised the electorate to “amend” the Termination Act. Even Badal, in his recent statement, had maintained that not a single drop of Punjab’s water be given to any other State.
SAD’s 2007 manifesto had stated that the Congress “has delivered the biggest blow to state’s interests by giving a legal guarantee to the flow of Punjab’s river waters to Haryana and Rajasthan under Clause 5 of the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act.”
Over the issue, Capt Amarinder, along with Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader Sunil Jakhar and other senior legislators, held hour-long meeting on Thursday afternoon till evening.
The leaders warned of a mass uprising and agitation all over Punjab whose consequences shall be the responsibility of both the central and the State Governments. “We will rope in the whole of Punjab and even a kid would join us in this,” said Capt Amarinder.