In a major decision in the election year, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday announced that Punjab Government would de-notify the land which had been acquired for the construction of the controversial Satluj-Yamuna Canal in Punjab. The land measuring 5,376 acres would be returned to its original owners.
Making the announcement on the floor of the Punjab Assembly, the Chief Minister also declared that not a single drop of water would be allowed to flow out of Punjab as such a decision and action would be neither constitutionally nor legally tenable.
“In fact, an extremely critical and dangerous water crisis stares its population in the face. I would rather shed every drop of my blood than allow any drop of Punjab’s river waters to flow out in violation of its rights,” said Badal.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its ally the BJP were quick to hail the Chief Minister’s announcement. “With a single stroke, Badal has struck down the long and dark legacy of the Congress Governments against the people of Punjab,” they said.
“Every Punjabi would be walking taller from this afternoon as the decision would safeguard his dignity and his self-esteem,” said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Senior BJP leader Madan Mohan Mittal also hailed this historic decision, who was also present at the Press Conference and said that BJP being an alliance in the Government fully endorsed this pro-farmer and pro-Punjab decision.
In his impassioned address to the Vidhan Sabha, the Chief declared that “under no circumstances would any decision to construct SYl in violation of the Riparian Principle be accepted.”
Badal’s declaration came as climax of a bitter and intense face-off between the SAD and the Opposition Congress in the Vidhan Sabha. The CM declared that he was prepared to walk the high road to sacrifice to safeguard the interests of the people of his State.
“I would not hesitate to make any supreme sacrifice to protect every drop of water in order to safeguard the rights of Punjabis,” he said, adding, that Government would not agree to any decision in defiance of riparian principles.
The Chief Minister gave a detailed account of how the successive union and State Governments of the Congress had systematically robbed Punjab of all its vital interests, most especially on the issue of river waters. He backed his arguments and claims with records and documents. He also placed on the table of house copies of relevant letters, communication and other documents.
Badal said that the issue of river waters does not concern or affect the interests of the farmers alone, in fact every Punjabi faces death and devastation in the event of Punjab’s river waters being constantly denied to it, regardless of whether he was a shopkeeper, trader, businessmen, Arthiya, student, sports person, house wife or from any other sphere, “Any compromise on river waters would amount to signing the death warrant of every Punjabi. This must be confronted, fought and defeated. Anything is precisely what we are totally committed to achieving,” said Badal.
Badal referred to Punjab Termination of Agreements Act 2004, which Congressmen claimed as their major contribution. He said that all the Agreements which were terminated through this Act, were done by the Congress governments. Thus the Act was a mere admission of guilt by the Congress government headed by Amarinder Singh.
“This Termination Act terminated nothing but the agreements signed by the Congress governments alone themselves. He said the passage of this agreement was in fact an unintentional admission of guilt by the Congress Government,” he added.
The Chief Minister asserted that Punjab didn’t have single drop of water to spare for any State rather it was passing through a severe water crisis. He said our Opposition had been often accusing Akali Dal for raking up these issues to safeguard the interests of Punjab only while outside the Government.
He said in or out of Government, their stand on pro-Punjab issues including SYl was consistent and would never be compromised.
Badal said he was the Chief Minister at a point of time when the Supreme Court gave direction on January 15, 2002 on the construction of SYl, he cited a news report from a section of press, “Punjab does not have a drop of water to spare for any other State. We will not implement the Supreme Court Order at any cost even if I have to go to Jail for it. I would rather shed every drop of my blood than allow even a single drop of water to flow out of my State in defiance of the Riparian Principle.”