Moving the resolution in the state Assembly, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal declared in the most emphatic and categorical terms that he “would rather make the supreme sacrifice than allow the SYL canal
Moving the resolution in the state Assembly, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal declared in the most emphatic and categorical terms that he “would rather make the supreme sacrifice than allow the SYL canal to be built as it deprives the people of Punjab of their legitimate rights over their river waters, in brazen defiance of the nationally and internationally-accepted Riparian principle”.
Committing his party and government to strong measures needed to protect the interests of the people, Mr Badal urged Punjabis to prepare themselves for tough battles ahead. The resolution appears to have come in the wake of Thursday’s SC order asking the state to maintain the status quo on the process of resumption of SYL lands by the original owners of the land, and spoke of the struggles and sacrifices by Punjabis on the river waters issue.
Mr Badal minced no words while declaring he would “protect with all the might at his disposal the state’s river waters”.
We will not accept under any circumstances any decision coming from any quarters which seeks to deprive our people of their legitimate rights over Punjab’s river waters”.
Tracing the history of long struggles waged by his party, the Shiromani Akali Dal, and Punjabis in general, Mr Badal said he and the SAD-BJP government had neither accepted in the past nor would accept in the future any decision at any level taking away the “vital” river waters from Punjab.
The CM said there was a wide consensus that Punjab did not have even a single drop of water to spare for any other state. In view of that, there was no need to construct the SYL canal. “Neither is it even possible to do so. I wish to state in the most unequivocal terms that we will not allow this canal to be constructed at any cost,” he declared.
