[Chandigarh] Capt Amarinder Opposes+Resigns & Khattar Welcomes SC Verdict On SYL Link Canal
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh today resigned from his Lok Sabha seat while his party MLAs resigned en-masse from the state assembly, n protest against the Court Verdict On SYL Link Canal
Amarinder, who is also former Punjab Chief Minister, has sent his resignation to the Lok Sabha Speaker, copy of which was released to the media here, and has also sought a personal meeting with the Speaker next week.
The party MLAs have also sent their resignations to the Speaker, Punjab Assembly, and will meet him tomorrow morning to personally hand over their papers.
Punjab goes to polls early next year.
The Supreme Court held as unconstitutional the 2004 law passed by Punjab to terminate the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal water sharing agreement with neighbouring states.
Amarinder said Badal and his team had “failed” to defend Punjab s stand in the court, leading to such disastrous consequences for the state.
On the other hand Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar welcomes SC verdict on SYL canal issue
Haryana Chief Minister Khattar welcomed Supreme Court’s decision today to hold as “unconstitutional” the 2004 law passed by Punjab to terminate the SYL canal water sharing agreement with neighbouring states.
“I welcome the Supreme Court verdict. It is natural justice,” he told reporters here.
In its judgement the apex court made it clear that the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, was “unconstitutional” and Punjab could not have taken an “unilateral” decision to terminate the water sharing agreement with Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh.
“The Supreme Court has given its decision on this vital issue after 12 years and it is a result of the persistent efforts made by the present state government,” he claimed.
This judgement has brought smile on the face of every Haryanvi because the state would get its legitimate share of surplus water of 3.5 million acre feet (MAF) from the Ravi-Beas River,
The Haryana Assembly had recently unanimously passed a resolution condemning Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s statement that Punjab and its residents will not accept any verdict against the state’s interest on river waters.
On November 1, in his ‘Punjabi Suba’ address, Badal had said the state was ever ready to make any sacrifice to safeguard its legitimate share of river waters.