A day after Punjab Assembly passed a resolution
seeking immediate transfer of the Union Territory Chandigarh to
Punjab, the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khaattar on Saturday
condemned the resolution saying Chandigarh will remain the joint
capital of both the states.
“They (Punjab ) should not have done this. Rajiv–Longowal Accord was
signed 35-36 years ago, as per which it is the capital of both Haryana
and Punjab. I said yesterday too that there are several issues related
to it…If they want to do something like this, they should first go to
the Supreme Court over resolving the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal
issue.
The Hindi-speaking areas were also not given to Haryana, which
delayed the rest of the issues. They should say that they are ready to
give Hindi-speaking areas to Haryana,” said Khattar.
He said there is a system of democracy, but the unilateral action
taken by the Bhagwant Mann government is condemnable. Such decisions
have no place in a democracy, Khattar said.
The Haryana CM said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal
should condemn the Punjab government’s move and apologise to the
people of Haryana. He said Kejriwal on one hand talks about stopping
water from Haryana’s share in Punjab and on the other hand asks for
water from Haryana for Delhi, which shows the dual attitude of
Kejriwal.
“Punjab CM should also apologise to the people of Haryana. What they
have done is condemnable,” he said.
Haryana BJP chief Omprakash Dhankhar termed the resolution passed by
the Aam Aadmi Party government by convening a special session as an
attack on the federal structure. Dhankhar announced the Haryana BJP
would oppose the resolution of the Punjab Assembly at the district
level. He said Chandigarh is a Union Territory, it is the capital of
both Haryana and Punjab.
Meanwhile, former Haryana CM and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda
said Chandigarh belongs to Haryana.
He said Haryana and Punjab have three disputes – water (Satluj Yamuna
Link canal), the Hindi-speaking region in Punjab and the third
concerns the capital, Chandigarh.
“Haryana’s first priority is regarding water. Haryana is not being
given the right of water even as the Supreme Court has decided in the
interest of Haryana,” he said.
Hooda said the resolution passed by the Punjab government regarding
Chandigarh is meaningless and a political jumla.
The former CM said Congress will demand an all-party meeting from the
government on the issue. “We will also demand a special session of the
Assembly from the government,” he added .