Abohar, May 24, 2023 (Yes Punjab News)
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the SAD would not allow the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to make a quantum increase in the share of River waters released to Rajasthan from Punjab as committed by chief minister Bhagwant Mann, asserting “we will not allow one extra drop of water to be released to Rajasthan even if we have to give up our life to prevent this gross injustice”.
Addressing a massive ‘dharna’ in this parched area bordering Rajasthan, the SAD President denounced the AAP conspiracy to trade off the State’s River waters to secure votes in Rajasthan in the upcoming elections there.
He said the very fact that the chief minister had not denied news reports about the assurance given by him to Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief Hanuman Beniwal and Rajasthan farmers that the AAP government would increase water share flowing from the Sirhind Feeder to Rajasthan was proof of a diabolic plot to rob Punjab of its river waters.
“The chief minister has given a specific assurance to increase the water share from the present 700 cusecs to 1250 cusecs which strikes at the very livelihood of lakhs of our farmers”.
Asserting that Punjab was bleeding from the discrimination meted out to the State by the Congress party, Mr Sukhbir Badal said “in 1955 the Congress central government allocated 8 maf of the total 15.85 maf of the Ravi-Beas waters to Rajasthan. Now that ground water has reached alarming depths and large parts of the State may become desert patches in the future, Mr Bhagwant Mann is promising extra allocation of Punjab waters to Rajasthan which will not be tolerated under any circumstances”.
Telling farmers that they would have to remain vigilant against the conspiracies of AAP and its boss Arvind Kejriwal, the SAD leader said “one year back Kejriwal assured the people of Haryana in front of Mr Bhagwant Mann that AAP will get SYL waters to Haryana if elected to power in the State. The Haryana AAP unit president had officially given a ‘guarantee’ to this effect to the people of the State”.
Mr Badal said the SAD would continue to stand by the Riparian Principle. We will not allow one drop of extra water to go to Rajasthan nor will we allow any water to go to Haryana from the SYL canal. He also highlighted how former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had safeguarded the River waters of Punjab by passing the Punjab SYL canal (Rehabilitation and Re-vesting of Property Rights) Bill, 2016 which returned the land acquired for construction of the SYL canal back to farmers.
Senior leaders who addressed the dharna included Dr Mohinder Rinwa, Hansraj Josan, Mantar Singh Brar, Vardev Singh Mann, Parambans Singh Romana, Kanwarjit Singh Barkandi, Harpreet Singh and Suba Singh Badal.
CLICK HERE to Subscribe to YesPunjab Telegram Channel & receive Important News Updates
