Dismiss Punjab govt for 'compromising' interests on SYL canal issue: Akali Dal to Guv

Chandigarh, Oct 6 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday urged Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to dismiss Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for "compromising" the state's interests while defending the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal case in the Supreme Court.

A delegation led by party President Sukhbir Badal met the Governor here and handed over a representation to him apprising him of the manner in which the Chief Minister had "backstabbed" Punjab and people of the state in the Supreme Court at the instance of AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, who was "hell bent" on giving Punjab’s water to Haryana and even Rajasthan in direct violation of the Riparian Principle.

Badal also asserted the party would not allow one drop of water to go out of Punjab. He said, "There was no SYL canal in the state after the land on which the canal stood was transferred back to farmers in 2016 by former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. Neither do we have any water to give."

Sukhbir Badal also said the party would terminate all water sharing agreements once it assumed power in the state. “We will stop water flowing into Rajasthan. He also appealed to the Governor to recommend to the Central government to bring in legislation in Parliament to correct the historic injustice meted out to Punjab on the SYL canal issue and settle it once and for all on the Riparian Principle under which Punjab has an inalienable right over all water flowing in its territory.”

The SAD delegation which included Bikram Singh Majithia, Daljit Singh Cheema, Sukhwinder Kumar and Anil Joshi apprised the Union government of the ground situation in Punjab and asserted that any attempt to hold "forcible" surveys by the Centre with the intention of transporting the state’s waters to Haryana was likely to result in the "eruption of a volcano" of anger among the state peasantry which would be difficult of control.

“This step will also not be conducive to peace in the sensitive border state,” it said.

The delegation also highlighted the "treachery" of the AAP government in the apex court in which it expressed its willingness to construct the SYL canal but for pressure from Opposition parties as well as difficulties in acquiring land for the canal which had been returned to farmers by the erstwhile SAD government.

 “This contention is tantamount to backstabbing farmers,” it said adding “it seems the AAP government failed to argue Punjab’s case convincingly. It also failed to stress the Riparian Principle by way of which Punjab has an inalienable right over the water flowing in its territory.”

 The delegation also detailed how Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal had announced that Haryana and Delhi should be given water through the SYL canal and how the Delhi government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court in April 2016 asserting both Haryana and Delhi should be granted their share of water from the SYL canal.