Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, asked the centre for help on Wednesday to ensure that Punjab and Haryana would have access to water, even as he accused the BJP and the Congress of politicising the long-running Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute.
He delivered the speech at Hisar, Haryana, where he also unveiled his party’s ‘Make India No. 1’ campaign. The Punjabi government ‘is not cooperating’ in settling the SYL canal problem, the Centre informed the Supreme Court the day prior. Additionally, Mr. Kejriwal urged the Centre to avoid stirring up a dispute between the two states.
Bhagwant Mann, the chief minister of Punjab, who was with Mr. Kejriwal, stated that he had no hesitation about meeting with Manohar Lal Khattar, the chief minister of Haryana, to discuss the SYL canal dispute.
In response to a question regarding the matter, the chief minister of Delhi also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide water for both Punjab and Haryana, claiming that both states were experiencing shortages.
‘I want to ask the stand of the Punjab Congress and the Haryana Congress on the SYL issue. I also want to ask the stand of the Punjab BJP and the Haryana BJP on it. They go to Punjab and say they will not allow construction of the SYL canal, and when they come to Haryana, they say they will ensure construction of the canal,’ he said.
‘This dirty politics has not let India become number one in the last 70 years,’ Mr Kejriwal said. He claimed that due to the states’ declining underground water tables, both Punjab and Haryana require water. ‘It is the responsibility of the central government that it should intervene and ensure water for Haryana and Punjab,’ In Hisar, he told reporters.
‘What is the job of the central government? It is not the job of the Centre to make these two states fight against each other. If we continue to fight against each other, how will India move forward,’ Mr Kejriwal asked.
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