Union Food Processing Minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Sunday asked Congress national vice-president Rahul Gandhi why he had developed cold feet and refused to support Punjab’s stand on the Satluj-Yamuna link (SYl) canal even though the state unit of his party had supported the bill withdrawing the land acquisition order for the canal besides passing a resolution not to allow construction of the SYl canal.
Harsimrat said that it was unfortunate that the Congress vice president had offered the lame excuse that he could not react on the matter because it was sub-judice when no bar had been put by the apex court on speaking on the issue. Rahul Gandhi’s refusal to speak up and be counted on the side of Punjabi farmers had negated the support extended to this issue by the Punjab Congress, she said.
Bathinda MP said that the real reason why Rahul Gandhi had not spoken up in favour of Punjab peasantry was because of the constant dual policy followed by the Congress high command. “The party takes one stand in Punjab and the other in Haryana. Since Rahul was in Chandigarh, the joint capital of both States, he chose to clam up rather than be exposed,” she added.
The Akali leader, however, said that Rahul would well remember that sometimes silence could also be “criminal”. “By remaining silent, he is giving the impression that he did not want to reverse the injustice meted out to Punjab on the river waters front and that he even supported the anti-Punjab steps taken on this issue under the leadership of his grandmother Indira Gandhi,” she said.
The Minister added, “Rahul should know that his grandmother gave birth to the SYl canal by forcing the then Congress Chief Minister of Punjab to sign off half of the State’s waters to Haryana after the reorganisation of Punjab in 1966.”
“She even came to Kapoori in 1982 to inaugurate the construction of the canal. All this is not sub-judice. Rahul could have at least atoned for the discrimination meted out to the State by his grandmother and assured Punjabis that he would support them in getting justice now,” she added.
Stating that if Rahul did not come clean even now on this issue which had the potential to turn vast swathes of land into a desert, he would stand exposed forever. “It will be recorded that you came to Punjab but refused to support Punjabis in their fight to protect their river waters,” she added.
Meanwhile, Harsimrat also asked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to file a clear straight forward affidavit supporting Punjab on the SYl canal in the Supreme Court on Monday when the matter comes up for hearing. “If AAP Delhi Government failed to do this, its chief minister Arvind Kejriwal would also stand thoroughly exposed,” she said.
“In direct contrast to anti-Punjab actions of both Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had taken a clear stand that his Government would not allow construction of the SYl canal at any cost,” she said.