Union food processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its Convenor Arvind Kejriwal to show solidarity with Punjabis by supporting Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s stance not to allow construction of the SYL canal at any cost.In a statement here, the Union minister said if the AAP and its Convenor Kejriwal were really in favour of Punjab on the issue of the SYL canal they should have no hesitation in supporting Mr Badal’s stance on this issue. “However if they do not do this it will prove that they support Haryana on this contentious issue. The ball is in their court. They should tell Punjabis where they stand. With Punjab or Haryana?” she asked.The Union minister said even though she had made this offer to Kejriwal to stand and be counted with the Punjab peasantry which was against construction of the SYL canal, she did not believe he would take up this offer. “Mr Kejriwal has all along tried to befool the Punjabi farmer by claiming he supported them even though he and his government have betrayed their cause by taking Haryana’s side in court on the SYL canal issue in the apex court”.
Mrs Badal said even now the AAP was befooling Punjabis by stating it would file a revised affidavit in the Supreme Court on the SYL issue. “This has already been delayed inordinately and only strengthened the belief that Kejriwal has no desire to protect the interests of Punjab”, she added.The Bathinda mp said Punjabis had started realising the AAP Convenor’s treacherous nature and were ready to question him as to why he had betrayed the farmers of the State. She said this was the main reason why Kejriwal had run away from attending the Baisakhi conference at Talwandi Sabo recently.Mrs Badal also issued an appeal to all former sympathisers of AAP and its leader Arvind Kejriwal who now felt cheated by the actions of the party to collect under one banner to safeguard the waters of Punjab. She said this was essential to prevent lands irrigated by canals from turning into deserts. Stating that this was a do or die battle for the farmers of Punjab, the Union minister appealed to them to strengthen the hands of Mr Parkash Singh Badal who alone could rally the entire peasantry of the State around him to prevent the State’s waters from being snatched from the State.