Water row: Punjab CM refuses rollback

PM's efforts to settle the issue seems to have made little headway, with Punjab ruling out rollback and Haryana seeking to move the SC.

Punjab's aborgation of water-sharing accords with neighbouring states on Tuesday rocked Parliament as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's efforts to bring down the heat on the issue appeared to have made little headway with Punjab ruling out rollback of the decision and Haryana keeping open the option of moving the Supreme Court.

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The Prime Minister held separate meetings with Punjab Chief Ministers Amarinder Singh of Punjab and Om Prakash Chautala here late Tuesday evening.

Later, Singh told reporters that the decision could not be reconsidered as the bill passed by the state assembly had already become an Act.

He, however, said the Act relates to the future. "We have protected the rights of all the states which are taking water from us. No water has been stopped and what is going is going on."

Emerging from the meeting with the Prime Minister, Chautala, when asked if his government would move the apex court on the issue, said all options were open. "The Prime Minister assured me that we will get justice and the Court's decisions would be implemented," Chautala claimed.

Earlier in the day, Punjab's action generated considerable heat in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha which were plunged into turmoil as the opposition stalled proceedings demanding immediate intervention by Manmohan Singh to deal with what they said a constitutional crisis and an assault on federalism by Congress-ruled Punjab.