Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today cautioned the people of Punjab and Haryana against dangerous designs of Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) and Indian National Lok Dal(INLD) who are blowing the issue of Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal out of proportion to create law and order problem for political motives.In a hard hitting statement issued here AAP MP and campaign committee chairman Bhagwant Mann said that AAP which is expected to form government in Punjab would not allow any water to flow to Haryana because Punjab has no extra water. He said that AAP was firm on its stand and would take all legal and political steps which would be required to resolve the river waters issue.Mann also asked INLD why they kept quite on SYL canal for ten years when their alley SAD was ruling in Punjab. He said that when it was imminent that SAD was going out of power, INLD suddenly decided to dig the SYL canal. He told SAD and INLD to stop gimmickry and not to create situation for bloodshed.Mann said SAD behavior was like a defeated army which is laying land mines before retracting from battle field. He asked Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh not to create hurdles in development and progress of Punjab and accept the verdict of people of Punjab with grace.
Mann said that SAD and Congress were mainly responsible for selling Punjab river waters to Haryana. He said that Parkash Singh Badal who was Chief Minister in 1978 had allowed his Haryana counterpart Devi Lal to conduct survey for the SYL Canal. “Devi Lal had announced in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha that what his predecessors Bhajan Lal and Bansi Lal were not able to obtain, he (Devi Lal) has done with the help of his dear friend Parkash Singh Badal”, Mann said while referring to Vidhan Sabha records.AAP MP said that Devi Lal had given 18 acres of prime land to Badal family in Gurgaon for Orbit resorts in lieu of compromising Punjab’s interest to Haryana. He said that when Badal family was in rule for the last ten years, they never petitioned Supreme Court for Punjab’s right over river waters and put up a weak case in defense to Haryana government’s petition against Punjab.Mann said that Badal had for long been blaming Congress party for step-motherly treatment with Punjab and not giving justice to Punjab on river waters but kept quite against BJP ruling at center for the last three years. Of late Badal announced to make highest sacrifice for Punjab waters but he continued to enjoy power for ten years. Had he any interest with Punjab, why he didn’t break alliance with BJP and made the so called ‘highest sacrifice’ and why didn’t withdraw his daughter-in-law from Modi cabinet against injustice done to Punjab, Mann said?
Mann said that in 1982 when Congress came to power in Haryana and at center, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi came to lay foundation stone of the controversial canal. Capt Amarinder Singh who was MP from Patiala not only attended the function at Kapoori but also carried spade made of silver to dig the earth. He said that if Captain was Sincere for Punjab, he would have resigned from party at that time. He said that Capt Amarinder Singh and Badal both worked against people of Punjab and now trying to prove they are biggest saviors of Punjab.Mann said that SAD had supported INLD in the 2014 assembly elections in Haryana and the friendship between Chautala and Badal families was not a secret. He said that by raking up the SYL issue these parties were be fooling people of Punjab and Haryana. He said that they were raising the canal issue at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing the case and an atmosphere of undesired tension was being created at the Punjab and Haryana border. He appealed to people of both the states not to be misled by motivated actions of SAD and INLD.