The contentious issue of Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal water has left both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in a predicament as both parties have kept their Haryana leaders away from campaigning in neighbouring Punjab for the Assembly elections.
With just 13 days left for the polling on 4 February, none of the BJP and Congress leaders from Haryana including the chief minister  (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar are in the lists of 40 star campaigners each given
by the two parties to the Election Commission for Punjab Assembly elections.
Apart from the names from their Central leaders, the lists of the BJP and Congress also include the names of politicians from neighbouring states including Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
But apparently due to the SYL issue which has put the two states against each other over sharing of river water, big names from Haryana have failed to find place in the lists of stars campaigners of their respective parties in Punjab.
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and Union ministers including Arun Jaitley Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda and Smriti Irani are among the top star campaigners for the
party for Punjab election.
Similarly, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi  are in list of party’s 40 star campaigners.
From neighbouring states Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje, former Himachal Pradesh CMs Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar are among the star campaigners for the party.
But BJP list gave a miss to its Haryana leaders including CM Khattar, BJP’ Punjab election co-incharge Captain Abhmanyu and  state unit president Subhash Barala who were expected to campaign for their party in Punjab.
Likewise, Congress has also kept its top Haryana leaders including party’s spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Rajya Sabha MP Kumari Selja off the star
campaigner list.
Like BJP, barring Haryana the Congress has also preferred to list its big faces from other neighbouring states as star campaigners for poll-bound Punjab, including Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh and
former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot.
On their part, Haryana BJP leaders including Khattar, Capt Abhmanyu and Subhash Barala maintain it is a prerogative of party to decide if they are required for campaigning in the neighboring state. “BJP workers have already gone to Punjab to take care of their duties
there.

Now, if the party leadership asks us, we would go there,” said Barala.

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