Union Minister and Punjab BJP president Vijay Sampla on Wednesday defended Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s remarks on the Satluj-Yamuna link (SYl) Canal issue saying that Punjab should get its rightful share of the river waters.
Sampla, addressing media persons, said that Punjab was the grain basket of the country and had contributed immensely to the economy as well.
“Hence, it is justified that the State is given its rightful share of waters which is sine qua non (an essential condition) for sustaining and strengthening agri-based economy,” he said.
Sampla, Hoshiarpur MP, said that just like industries are given subsidies for their growth, similarly adequate water is required for boosting agriculture.
Stressing that water was meant for mankind, he said that Punjab's demand for water was not for itself but for the nation.
The Punjab BJP President was responding to media queries on his stand over the issue in which SAD, with whom BJP is in alliance in Punjab, is sticking to its stand, and Haryana, where BJP is in power as well, stuck to its claim.
Badal, a day before during celebrations of 50 years of Punjabi Suba in Amritsar, had stated that neither Punjab nor Punjabis would accept any verdict against the State's interest on river waters and were ready to make any sacrifice to safeguard its legitimate share.
Punjab and Haryana are embroiled in a legal tussle in the Supreme Court over their respective claims on SYl waters.
Sampla, however, took to task Congress leader Capt Amarinder Singh for his remarks that his party's MlAs would quit en mass if the Apex Court's decision on the issue is unfavourable to the state.
“Why did Captain (Amarinder) remain silent when SYl canal project was started during Congress governments in state and CentreIJ" he asked, adding, “By that yardstick, Captain should not have been in politics by now”.
lambasting AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his “doublespeak” over the matter, Sampla alleged that he had said something in Punjab but took an opposite stand in Delhi.
On former party MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, Sampla said that he had become a “political football” and had committed “political suicide”.
Sampla claimed that BJP had accommodated Sidhu couple for long and even “tolerated their indiscipline”.
Further, Sampla said that Adampur airport will be operational in 18 months after the acquisition of required land, adding that Chief Minister Badal had cleared file for the acquisition, hoping that the airport might get operational by next Diwali.