SAD condemns Congress double speak on SYL

Chandigarh, March 12 – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the Congress for speaking in different voices on the SYL canal even as it reiterated its commitment not to budge from the principle of riparian rights.

In a statement here, party MP and senior leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said it was condemnable that Congress’ Punjab incharge Shakeel Ahmed had feigned ignorance about the historic denotification of the SYL land acquisition order during a media interaction yesterday. “It is this type of double speak of central Congress leaders which has earlier robbed the state of its capital and Punjabi speaking areas. This kind of double speak will harm Punjab’s just battle to protect its river waters also”, he added.

Condemning the Congress high command for its anti- Punjab stand, the SAD secretary general said Punjabis had been hurt and felt betrayed by Mr Shakeel Ahmed’s statement that he did not know about the historic resolution passed by the Punjab assembly to safeguard the State’s river waters. He said it was surprising that Mr Ahmed feigned ignorance when he had been present in Chandigarh on the day the resolution was passed and was present in the Vidhan Sabha yesterday also. Mr Dhindsa said earlier Kumari Selja also opposed the Punjab Vidhan Sabha resolution in parliament.

“These developments make it clear that the Congress party continues to follow the policy of discrimination against Punjab”, Mr Dhindsa said. He said Congress party president Sonia Gandhi should immediately spell out her party’s policy on the SYL canal or admit once and for all that it had always discriminated against the State.

Mr Dhindsa said as far as the SAD was concerned, it’s stand on SYL had been always constant. “We have announced that we will not allow a single drop of water to go out of Punjab and we will never waver from this commitment”, he added.

Meanwhile explaining the Congress duplicity in creation of the SYL, the akali MP said Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had ignored all settled laws of the land and allocated Punjab’s water to Haryana through SYL canal in 1982 by bypassing the settled principle of riparian rights. “This despite the fact that Punjab alone had the legitimate and lawful right over its river waters”, he added.

Mr Dhindsa also appealed to Punjabis to rise above party likes and support the SAD- BJP government’s stand on river waters. He said the stand taken by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to denotify the SYL acquisition order and return the land back to farmers would give a final and befitting burial to the vexed issue and safeguard Punjab’s rights for all time to come.