Cashing in on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal controversy, the ruling Akali-BJP alliance on Thursday held ‘Paani Bachao, Punjab Bachao’ (save water save Punjab) rally to garner support ahead of the Assembly polls. The Congress, however, said the rally was an attempt by the Akalis to save ‘Badal’ and not to save water of Punjab.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who turned 89 on Thursday, said that with conferring the ownership rights of the land acquired for the SYL canal on original owners and their descendants after the de-notification, the controversy had been laid to rest.
‘No spare water’
“I firmly resolve that we don’t have spare water to share with anyone and we did the best within the legal framework to safeguard the interests of the State,” said Mr. Badal in Moga.
He accused the Congress leadership of betraying Punjab and Punjabis on not just the SYL issue but also on political, economic and religious issues.
“Capt. Amarinder Singh, who is now showing lip sympathy with the people on the SYL issue, was the one who performed the ground breaking ceremony of SYL at Kapoori village in Punjab way back in 1982,” claimed Mr. Badal.
‘Anti-poor’
The Chief Minister said both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party were anti-poor. “If these parties are voted to power they would discontinue pro-people schemes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress president Capt. Amarinder Singh said the Akalis’ rally had turned out to be a damp squib as the Chief Minister, who was celebrating his birthday, failed to announce any action plan on the SYL issue.
“The Badals are repeating the rhetoric on the SYL issue which the people of Punjab had taken note of,” he said.
The AAP accused the ruling SAD-BJP government of forcing private school managements to shut and provide buses for the rally at Moga.
