Mann diluting Punjab’s riparian rights: Oppn

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said Mann’s reference to Bhai Kanhaiya ji to justify sharing Punjab’s river waters with other states, particularly Haryana, was “outrageous and sacrilegious”

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Congress on Tuesday launched sharp attack on Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann over his remarks following a meeting with his Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal issue, accusing him of undermining Punjab’s riparian rights.

Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa also launched a scathing attack on the CM, accusing him of exposing Punjab’s interests on the SYL issue. (HT file)

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said Mann’s reference to Bhai Kanhaiya ji to justify sharing Punjab’s river waters with other states, particularly Haryana, was “outrageous and sacrilegious”.

“Dasam Patshah blessed acts of compassion and charity but also taught us to fight for our just rights. It is one thing to offer water to the dying as an act of compassion, as Bhai Kanhaiya ji did, and quite another to surrender Punjab’s lifeline — the river waters,” Sukhbir wrote in a post on X.

He asked the CM to apologise for “distorting Sikh history,” asserting that the SYL issue concerns Punjab’s riparian rights, not charity.

Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa also launched a scathing attack on the CM, accusing him of exposing Punjab’s interests on the SYL issue. Addressing a press conference, Bajwa said Mann’s “ill intentions” had now become clear.

He alleged that Mann failed to defend Punjab’s constitutional and legal position. “Not a word on constitutional protections, not a word on international riparian law. And suddenly, his favourite line — ‘Punjab kol ik boond pani vi nahi’ — vanished,” Bajwa said.