Chandigarh 9 Sep : Chandigarh, Sep 9 : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday slammed Chief minister Bhagwant Mann for omitting having a senior lawyer take Punjab’s side in the Supreme Court on the SYL canal issue to ease Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal’s “stated goal” to transfer state’s water to Haryana and Delhi. Senior SAD leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra and Daljit Singh Cheema told the media in the city that it the first time in the history of the SYL case is being considered in the Apex Court that the Punjab government didn’t send one senior lawyer in the case.
“Even the State Advocate General of the state was not forced into service.It is evident that this was carried out in collaboration with the high command of the party in Delhi to get an unidirectional decision against Punjab.”
Inquiring Mann to explain to Punjabis the reason he was taking one anti-Punjab position after another on the order of Kejriwal The SAD leaders stated that “it is shocking to note that the Punjab government did not tell the Supreme Court about Punjab’s firm position that it has an inalienable right to its river water in accordance with the law on riparian rights and that the issue was not subject to negotiation”.
They claimed that in lieu of doing this instead, the Punjab government acquiesced to engage in discussions with their Haryana counterpart “which amounts to a blatant denial of the state’s position on this important issue that is affecting the future of its farmers and the economy of the state”.
Chandumajra has also demanded that the Chief Minister to convene an all-party conference to discuss the AAP’s position on this important question to Punjabis.”Bhagwant Mann’s trip to Haryana and his submission to Kejriwal and his campaign with AAP MP Sushil Gupta, who has promised that SYL water will be flowing into Haryana sends a wrong message to Punjabis that he is ready to slap the state.
“In the event that the Chief Minister doesn’t declare his position in the near future, SAD will organise Punjabis through an Jago Punjab campaign to pressure the government to consider the opinions of the residents of the state.”
Cheema said that as the Chief Minister was preparing for an event that sold out, AAP legislators should also be clear on this important issue.
He declared that Punjabis have given a majority vote to AAP and elected 92 legislators to the post.”These legislators are accountable to the people, and they should not behave as the servants of AAP as well as Bhagwant Mann but should be able to express the views of Punjabis.”
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