A week after the Punjab government agreed to pass resolutions in a special Vidhan Sabha session acknowledging the demands of 23 farming organisations under the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) banner as genuine, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) announced it will oppose the state government if any further steps are taken.
The BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) raised objections to the SKM’s demand for the cancellation of sections 78, 79, and 80 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966, asserting that the water supply to Haryana and Rajasthan is justified and adheres to the natural law of the land. This is the first time a farm body in the state has supported sharing water from Punjab rivers with the two neighbouring states.
“Our union will oppose and gherao the Vidhan Sabha if any attempt is made to bring a resolution seeking the annulment of the three sections,” said Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, general secretary of BKU (Ekta Ugrahan).
“Water supplied to Haryana from rivers in Punjab is justified according to the riparian principle, and water supplied to Rajasthan is justified by the river basin theory, because Haryana was once part of Punjab and the Sutlej river used to flow through Rajasthan in the past,” he said.
Using an example of water division from an agricultural tubewell, Kokri Kalan stated that when agricultural land is split between two brothers, the tubewell water feeding that land is also divided. “The same rule applies to river water division in the case of Punjab and Haryana,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Using an example of water division from an agricultural tubewell, Kokri Kalan stated that when agricultural land is split between two brothers, the tubewell water feeding that land is also divided. “The same rule applies to river water division in the case of Punjab and Haryana,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Balbir Singh Rajewal, who heads a faction of the BKU, said he could only feel sorry about the union raising objection to the demand for the cancellation of the three sections of the Act. “In my opinion, their (BKU Ekta Ugrahan) loyalty has shifted towards Haryana and Rajasthan at the cost of Punjab,” said Rajewal, who was at the forefront of the farmers’ protest led by the SKM on the outskirts of Chandigarh from September 1 to 7. Farmers will resume their protests if the government fails to announce a schedule for the special session, he said.
The farmers’ protest ended on September 7 after agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian gave a written assurance to the farmers that apart from other demands, passing a resolution for the cancellation of the three sections in the 1966 Act was also accepted.
On September 7, the state government stated that the Centre would be urged to rework the provisions according to riparian principles. The sections deal with the sharing and management of the Bhakra-Nangal and Beas projects. Section 78 provides for the distribution of water and power among successor states. Section 79 establishes the BBMB to regulate water and power supplies, while Section 80 relates to the construction, completion and management of the Beas project.