Pressing for early completion of the controversial Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, supporters of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) on Monday staged a protest and blocked highways at a few places along the Haryana-Punjab border, disrupting the movement of vehicular traffic.
INLD supporters and activists blocked traffic on Ambala-Delhi highway and near the Shambhu barrier on Amritsar highway. Roads were also blocked in Dabwali in Sirsa district as protesters tried to stop vehicles from Punjab from entering Haryana.
“The SYL is a lifeline for the people of Haryana and we want our share of the water...The Supreme Court has given its decision in favour of Haryana on the SYL...the Central government should act swiftly to get the decision implemented,” INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala said while addressing a gathering at Sirsa.
Meanwhile, former Haryana Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged that the protest was a ‘fixed match’' between the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party and the INLD.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said in Hisar on Sunday: “Since both the INLD and the Congress have no issues to rake up, these parties are just trying to salvage their eroded political existence in the name of farmers and the SYL canal.”
