Hisar, Haryana (September 07, 2014): Realizing the impact of Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s campaign in favor of Indian National Lok Dal (INDL) in Haryana Assembly pols, the BJP leadership has started expressing it’s displeasure.
In an attempt to bring Badal in a fix BJP leader Capt. Abhimanyu said that the Punjab chief minister should explain his stand on the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal to the people of Haryana.
Capt. Abhimanyu, while talking to mediapersons in Hisar (on Sept. 05) said that the INLD had made the Badal Dal patron its star campaigner as the party was devoid of a charismatic leader.
“The INLD leaders are banking on Badal for their campaign. But it would prove costly for them as the people would confront Parkash Singh Badal as to why he was not allowing Haryana get its [so-called] due share of SYL waters,” he said.
Another BJP leader Rajiv Jain also lodged political attack on Punjab CM, who is also partron of BJP’s ally Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) in Punjab government. “Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal should announce the state was ready to release Haryana’s share of water through Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal before campaigning for the INLD” BJP vice president Rajiv Jain.
He was addressing election meetings various colonies at Sonipat.
He said that without allowing SYL how could Badal urge the state farmers to vote for the INLD.
Rajiv Jain said that the former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal had struggled hard for construction of the SYL, and alleged that: because of adamant attitude of successive governments in Punjab many obstacles were created with the result that the matter was still pending in the courts. He alleged that the INLD and the Congress were the chips off the same block as the people had already tested them in the past.
What is SYL Canal Issue in Brief:
Satluj Yamuna Link canal is a controversial project aimed at looting Punjab’s river water. It may be recalled that Haryana is a non-riparian state with respect to Punjab rivers and therefore it was not eligible to get any share of water from the rivers of Punjab. But Indian state made various extra-legal and extra-constitutional arrangements to allocate Punjab’s river water to non-riparian states of Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
SYL canal, as the name suggest, would link Satluj to Yamuna, and give 34 LAF more water to Haryana. According to Punjab’s ex-chief engineer G. S. Dhillon Haryana is already getting 18 LAF (out of 34 LAF) by additional discharge by Bhakhra Bias Management Board (BBMB) in Bhakhra Canal.
Recently social activist Medha Patekar also opposed SYL canal project.