A day after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal broke his silence over the water-sharing issue of Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, the Congress hit out at him on Monday, questioning the timing of his “delayed reaction”.
Punjab Congress president Capt. Amarinder Singh said it was a “belated” attempt by Mr. Kejriwal to retrieve the ground lost in Punjab due to his prolonged silence on the SYL matter.
Mr. Kejriwal, during a rally in Jagraon on Sunday, said only the AAP could protect the waters of Punjab. “Nobody will be allowed to snatch the rights of the State,” he had said, adding that Punjab did not have extra water and the question of giving it to any other State did not arise.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Mr. Kejriwal’s delayed reaction has come to divert attention from the crisis within his party as a result of the major revolts and widespread corruption allegations,” said Capt. Amarinder.
He said Mr. Kejriwal’s SYL comments came on a day when four key organisational leaders of the AAP joined the Congress. “It is obvious that Kejriwal chose to speak up on the SYL issue at this hour, when his party was in total shambles and staring at imminent defeat in the upcoming Assembly polls,” said Capt. Amarinder, adding that the AAP leader’s remarks were just another “electoral gimmick.”
“Why did it take him [Mr. Kejriwal] a month to come out with a comment in support of Punjab on the SYL issue?” asked Capt. Amarinder.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I myself had repeatedly requested Mr. Kejriwal to break his silence on the SYL issue for the people of Punjab, but he didn't respond. Now, the timing of the AAP leader’s remarks on SYL [canal project] make his intentions suspect, especially given his track record on the issue,” he added.