BBMB row: Punjab parties put up united show, say no water to spare for Haryana

All major political parties of Punjab on Friday signaled political unity on the ongoing water sharing row stoked by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), taking a unanimous stand that any attempt to forcibly give extra water to Haryana will be opposed.

The representatives of seven recognised political parties, who assembled in Chandigarh for an all-party meeting convened by chief minister Bhagwant Mann amid escalation tension between the two states, took a united stand that Punjab does not have any water to spare and not a single drop of additional water will be given to Haryana from the Bhakra Dam. All leaders also addressed a joint press conference after the meeting where Mann said that the decision to release water to Haryana was being thrust on Punjab, but all parties are together on the issue of safeguarding the state’s waters.

During the meeting that lasted nearly two hours, all parties, which included the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Aam Aadmi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India and CPI(M), gave their suggestions and backed the state government to decide the next course of action to “protect” the interests of Punjab in this regard.

Blown out of proportion: Jakhar

While the state government has convened a special session of the Punjab assembly on May 5 to discuss and pass a resolution on the water issue, it was suggested in the meeting that an all-party delegation could meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the current standoff. Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, who attended the meeting with former minister Manorajan Kalia, suggested that the representatives should meet the PM or Union home minister Amit Shah and seek their intervention to resolve this matter through negotiation.

“This was a routine matter which could have been sorted out through talks. I have record for 23 years, which shows that states have been overdrawing water during the water depletion period. These decisions were taken through discussions. Isko rai ka pahad bana diya,” Jakhar later told reporters, suggesting that the matter was blown out of proportions through improper handling.

He criticised the manner in which the BBMB transferred officials and locks were put up at headworks, stating this is the wrong way of dealing with serious matters in a democracy.

Will meet PM after special session: AAP

Mann and Punjab AAP president Aman Arora said that they would seek time from the Prime Minister for a meeting after the special assembly session.

“There was consensus that any attempt to give water to Haryana will be opposed tooth and nail. Jakhar has been requested to get us time from the PM,” Arora said.

SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema, who attended the meeting along with senior party colleague Balwinder Singh Bhunder, said that all issues related to Punjab’s rights, including river waters, transfer of Chandigarh, criteria for the appointment of BBMB chairman, the Dam Safety Act, BSF jurisdiction up to 50 km inside the international borders, etc. should be taken up with the Prime Minister.

“The BBMB’s attempt to release water to Haryana by ignoring Punjab’s objections is an attack on federalism. We have given our suggestions. The chief minister will decide the next course of action,” he said.

High drama at Nangal on Thursday

On Thursday, Mann hit out at the BBMB for its decision to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana, saying such “robbery” of Punjab’s rights will not be tolerated and that the board has no right to dictate matters related to his state. He asserted that the AAP government would not allow the release of more water to the neighbouring state, claiming it has already utilised its share. He visited the Nangal dam in Rupnagar district, where AAP minister Harjot Singh Bains and party workers staged a dharna in protest against the BBMB’s decision of giving water to Haryana.

Punjab Police beefed up security at the Nangal dam, situated downstream of Bhakra dam in Rupnagar district, as part of security review arrangements. Bains said they have taken control over the Nangal dam and the room from where the water supply is regulated has been locked, and its key given to the police.

The controversy erupted after the BBMB meet on Wednesday over the issue of water sharing between Punjab and Haryana, with the AAP government in the border state refusing to release more water to the BJP-ruled Haryana. The BBMB’s decision came despite the Punjab government’s strong objection, as it claimed that the neighbouring state has already utilised 103% of its allocated share of water.