Chandigarh Aam Aadmi Party Haryana in-charge and Rajya Sabha member from Delhi Sushil Gupta made a big statement on SYL and said if AAP comes in power in 2024, the water would reach to every field of state’s villages. He further said this is not a promise but a guarantee of Aam Aadmi Party.
He further said neither the Center nor the state governments of Haryana have brought SYL water in any of the villages so far but now the Aam Aadmi Party has decided that SYL water would be brought to every field in Haryana.
The announcement made by the Haryana Incharge Sushil Gupta was talk of the day. The issue of SYL water sharing between Haryana and Punjab has been pending for many years now. Punjab has fought a long legal battle on this issue to the High Court and upto the Supreme Court.
The apex court had advised the governments of both the states to sit and and resolve the issue. It is quite obvious that the opposition party leaders of Punjab would come out with reaction statements on such sensitive issue that has been lingering on for a long time.
Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal in a post on Twitter cleared his party’s stand and said that Shiromani Akali Dal would not allow to barter with the rights of Punjab state. He said that the statement made by the Rajya Sabha member of Aam Aadmi Party guaranteeing water of Punjab to Haryana had exposed the real face of Aam Aadmi Party and party chief Arvind Kejriwal. Sukhbir Badal asked Bhagwant Mann to clear his government’s stand on the issue.
Reacting to the statement of AAP leader, senior Leader of Punjab BJP Harjeet Grewal said that the statement given by the Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha member made it clear that he wanted to put Punjab in crisis. He said that Punjab did not have extra water as the state is already suffering water crisis as ground water has already gone down. Grewal demanded that Bhagwant Mann should clear his stand on the issue and that Arvind Kejriwal must ask his party’s Rajya Sabha member regarding this. He said this suggests the anti-Punjab, anti-Punjabi and anti-farmer face of Aam Aadmi Party. He also asked Farmers Leaders Balbir Rajewal and Joginder Ugrahan also to clear their stand whereas they had been inclined towards Aam Aadmi Party.
Senior Akali Dal leader Daljit Cheema said that with the Aam Aadmi Party guaranteeing SYL water to Haryana, it seems that Rajya Sabha member from Delhi Sushil Gupta made this statement for Haryana as per Kejriwal’s orders. Has been given. He further said that Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha members from Punjab and Punjab Chief Minister should also make their stand clear on this statement. Such an announcement is tantamount to betraying Punjab and the Akali Dal will not allow the rights of Punjab to be lost under any circumstances.
Reacting to Gupta’s statement, Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira also wrote on Twitter and said that Arvind Kejriwal should clarify his position on the issue saying that the statement made by Sushil Gupta on SYL issue was his own personal statement or the stand of the party. He said that SYL was the lifeline of Punjab. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should clarify his position on this issue.
On the issue, newly elected Punjab Congress President Amarinder Raja Warring said that two worrying issues have come to light in the last two days. He said, At the one hand the Haryana government was preparing to file a petition in the Supreme Court regarding the distribution of water and on the other hand, the statement of Rajya Sabha member from Delhi and Haryana in-charge Sushil Gupta on SYL water to be given to Haryana. He said that Congress party was skeptical about the intentions of Aam Aadmi Party and it seemed that the rights of Punjab could be compromised.
He asked the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that since the enemy was standing at the door and what was the readiness of the Punjab government in this regard? Raja Warring said that the Haryana government is preparing to approach the Supreme Court regarding the issue of SYL on which Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should take all the political parties into confidence and should get ready to take legal stand.
The issue of Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal has been a serious issue between the two states for the last four decades. Punjab and Haryana have been constantly asserting their rights regarding water sharing.
