Haryana Cong. wants BJP govt. to file contempt proceedings against Punjab on SYL canal issue

Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the State to file contempt proceedings against the Punjab government in connection with the construction of Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, the focal point of a water-sharing dispute between Haryana and Punjab.

He said the Supreme Court has already decided the SYL canal matter in favour of Haryana, and it is now the responsibility of the Union government to get Haryana its due share.

Reacting to the series of meetings between the Centre, Punjab and Haryana governments on SYL, Mr. Hooda said in a press conference here: “Instead of playing the game of meetings, the BJP government should file a contempt case against the Punjab government in the court as the Supreme Court’s decision has come in favour of Haryana a long time ago. The court had handed over the responsibility of getting Haryana’s share of water to the Central government. There is a BJP government both in Haryana and at the Centre. In such a situation, Haryana should have got its share of water by now, but this could not happen due to the anti-Haryana attitude of the BJP.”

“Congress repeatedly said that the Punjab government is disobeying the decision of the Supreme Court, but the Haryana government kept wasting time by holding fruitless meetings. It is the BJP government, during whose tenure the already built SYL canal in Punjab was dismantled,” he added.

Mr. Hooda also expressed concern over the prevailing law and order in the State. “Every resident of the State is living under the shadow of fear. Murders have become so common. Crimes against every section, including women and Dalits, are increasing,”Mr. Hooda alleged.