CHANDIGARH- Punjab Congress today extended complete support to the state government to protect the state’s waters.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring had deputed to senior party leaders including former Speaker Rana KP Singh and former minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa on behalf of the party to attend the All Party Meeting convened by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
Warring said that he could not reach the meeting himself as he was away.
Later briefing reporters, Rana and Bajwa said that they had conveyed Congress party’s complete and wholehearted support to the government to protect Punjab’s waters in whatever way it deemed fit.
They said the party stood with the government to deal with the situation on both legal and political grounds. They suggested that the government should adopt both the ways by approaching the Supreme Court of India and also seeking time from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
They observed that the Chief Minister Mann can lead an all party delegation from Punjab to meet the Prime Minister. In case the Prime Minister does not grant an appointment, the state government can also decide on staging a dharna outside the PM’s residence where the Congress will also participate.
Tripat Bajwa said that people of Haryana were like brothers of Punjabis. He said, Punjab has been providing whatever is the rightful due to Haryana. He said, since Punjab was itself short of water, it cannot spare any extra water for Haryana.
Rana KP said that Punjab was getting a raw deal due to Haryana using the union government’s influence in the Bhakra Beas Management Board. He pointed out, Haryana had already consumed more than its due share, 104 percent, of water by May 3, which it should have consumed by May 21.
The two leaders assured the Chief Minister that the Punjab Congress will stand like a rock with the government to save and protect Punjab’s water.
Meanwhile, PCC president appreciated the stand taken by the two senior leaders in the All Party Meeting and said that whatever course of action the government chalks out, the Punjab Congress will support and stand by that.