SYL Canal: Partap Singh Bajwa seeks PM’s intervention

Congress leader and leader of opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the long pending dispute over the river waters between Punjab and Haryana.

Congress leader and leader of opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the long pending dispute over the river waters between Punjab and Haryana.

Bajwa, while referring to Modi’s statement asking the states to cooperate with each other in resolving the river water disputes, said the Prime Minister had the golden opportunity to right the many wrongs. (HT file photo)

Bajwa, while referring to Modi’s statement asking the states to cooperate with each other in resolving the river water disputes, said the Prime Minister had the golden opportunity to right the many wrongs which have been done against Punjab to deny the state its bonafide rights over its river waters.

“Though the central government has no direct role in mediating between two or more states if there were disputes over the river waters, it can definitely play a neutral as well as positive role in persuading the BJP-led Haryana government not to stay adamant over the construction of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal”, he said in a statement.

Bajwa said Modi should listen to the voice of his own party leaders from Punjab such as Ashwani Kumar Sharma, president of the Punjab BJP unit, who said the state had the first right of ownership over its river waters. Without wasting further time, Modi should immediately call chief ministers of both Punjab and Haryana and tell Manohar Lal Khattar to immediately withdraw his unreasonable demand of the construction of the SYL canal, he demanded.