A day after Supreme Court rejected Punjab’s plea for adjourning the hearing over the Sutlej-Yamuna link (SYl) canal dispute till the New Government assumed office in the State, the SYl issue has again raised the the political temperature in Haryana.
The political parties have engaged in a blame game again with the Opposition Congress and INlD blaming the BJP-led Haryana Government for befooling the people of the State on SYl issue.
The Opposition parties have asked the Manohar lal Khattar Government to approach the Centre to ensure completion of SYl canal as soon as possible even as the Chief Minister has maintained that the SYl issue is of prime importance for the State Government.
Under fire from the Opposition for not taking up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi yet and fixing up an all party meeting with him on SYl canal, Manohar lal while talking to the mediapersons said that the State Government is committed to bring SYl water to Haryana.
On the query that the SC had asked Haryana as to why it had not challenged Punjab government’s notification returning the farmers land acquired for the SYl canal, the Chief Minister said that the Punjab Government has not yet denotified the land and as such, there is no need to challenge it.
Amid the political hullabaloo on SYl issue in Haryana and neighboring Punjab as well, Haryana Congress has urged the Narendra Modi led-NDA Government to construct the SYl canal after the Supreme Court’s verdict.
Randeep Surjewala, Congress spokesperson and MlA from Haryana said, “I would urge Prime Minister to ensure that this work must be completed as it’s his duty to follow the orders of Supreme Court.”
It is the responsibility of the Centre to intervene and get the SYl constructed to ensure that Haryana gets its water share from Punjab, said he.
Surjewala had recently come under attack from INlD and BJP after he accompanied the senior party leaders while releasing Punjab poll manifesto, which stated that Punjab’s water is for its people only.
On the other hand, Haryana’s main opposition INlD has called on its party workers to get ready for the digging up of SYl on February 23 , if the same is not done by the Centre.
Slamming the BJP Government for failing to fight to get SYl water for Haryana even after SC’s decision in State’s favour in November, INlD’s senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala said that the INlD will now ensure that the state gets its SYl water share from Punjab.
During the hearing of SYl issue on Wednesday, the Apex Court had granted three weeks’ time to Punjab for responding to Haryana’s plea for executing Court’s 2004 directive for completion of the SYl canal.
The court had posted the hearing for February 15.
The SC Bench also stated that its November 30, 2016 order for maintaining status quo on the SYl land would continue and this would be ensured by the three court receivers — Union Home Secretary and Punjab’s Chief Secretary and Director General of Police.