With Haryana’s main opposition party, Indian National lok Dal (INlD) sticking to its plan to stop vehicles entering the State from neighbouring Punjab on July 10 to press for their demand of construction of Sutlej Yamuna link (SYl) canal, the political temperatures are now soaring in Haryana.
Upping the ante on its proposed move to stop vehicles entering Haryana from Punjab on July 10, the INlD on Monday announced to go ahead with its one-day protest and stop vehicles from Punjab at four different locations.
leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly and INlD’s senior leader Abhay Chautala, who is holding a series of meetings across the State to mobilise party workers for the proposed protest, on Monday, met INlD workers at Panchkula to chalk out party’s strategy for July 10.
Chautala, while talking to mediapersons announced that the INlD would not allow any vehicle to enter Haryana from Punjab at four different locations on July 10. Any Government or private vehicle, not even a cycle would be allowed to enter Haryana at these locations by INlD party workers to demand construction of SYl canal, said he.
The INlD leader said the four locations decided by the party included near Kingfisher Tourist Resort in Ambala at national highway -1, near Jakhal town, which is at border of Haryana’s Fatehabad and Punjab’s Sangrur, near Patiala border and near Bathinda-Dabwali border.
Chautala, however, made it clear it that no emergency vehicles like ambulances, fire brigades, police vehicles would be stopped during the one-day protest. Accusing the BJP-led Central and Haryana Governments of deliberately delaying the construction of SYl canal, the INlD leader said the party had given an ultimatum to the ruling BJP to start the construction of SYl by July 9, which seems unlikely now.
He added that the INlD had convened a meeting of executive committee at New Delhi on July 7 to finalise the party’s proposed protest.
If the ruling BJP failed to start the construction of SYl canal even after July 10 protest, the INlD would intensify its agitation across Haryana, said Chautala.
Having lost three consecutive Assembly elections in the State, the INlD has been making its last-ditch effort to regain lost political ground in Haryana.
Earlier, in an attempt to mount pressure on the BJP-led Central and State Governments on SYl canal issue, the INlD leaders had in February tried to march to Punjab from near Shambhu barrier on Haryana-Punjab border to undertake the digging of the SYl canal, but were arrested for breaching prohibitory orders.
In March, hundreds of INlD supporters from Haryana had flooded the Parliament Street in the heart of the national capital to protest over the SYl canal issue, prompting the police to resort to lathicharge.
Meanwhile, the BJP and Congress party have dubbed INlD’s July 10 proposed protest as “a political stunt”.
Chief Minister Manohar lal has already made it clear that no one will be allowed to take law in their own hands. Asserting that the SYl canal issue should not be politicized, the Chief Minister has said that Haryana would get its due share of water as the Supreme Court has already given its decision in favour of the state.
Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala has lashed out at the INlD saying that the opposition is not fighting for the rights of Haryana but to regain its lost political ground in the State.
On the other hand, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has accused the INlD of misleading the people on the emotive issue of SYl canal and said their proposed protest was politically motivated. State Congress chief Ashok Tanwar has dubbed INlD’s announcement as “a political stunt”.
Both Punjab and Haryana are in the midst of a political and legal war over water sharing through the SYl canal, which has remained at the centre of controversy for more than four decades. The Supreme Court in November 2016 had held the passing of the Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Bill, 2004, by the Punjab assembly as “unconstitutional”.
However, Punjab Government has flatly refused to construct the canal saying that the state has no more water to share with Haryana. The Apex Court will hear the water sharing dispute on July 11.