Resolution against Kejriwal on SYL remark

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 16

The Assembly today unanimously passed a condemnation resolution against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his reported remarks that Punjab had no spare SYL water for Haryana.

Raising the issue during resumed discussion on the Governor’s address, Agriculture and Irrigation Minister OP Dhankar termed Kejriwal’s statement as unfortunate and against the established constitutional norms and the state’s interests. Later, he brought the resolution against Kejriwal which was passed by the House by a voice vote.

Earlier, INLD’s Julana MLA Parminder Dhull questioned Kejriwal’s locus standi in issuing statements on the issue which had been a bone of contention between Punjab and Haryana for several years. “Who gave the Delhi Chief Minister the right to speak on the bilateral issue,” Dhull said, asking the Assembly to pass the condemnation resolution against Kejriwal.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today suggested his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal to remain neutral on the SYL canal issue and choose his words carefully.

Interacting with mediapersons after the Budget session at the Haryana Vidhan Sabha here today, Khattar said like Haryana, Delhi was also affected by the similar issue. He said Delhi also did not have its own sources of water and instead, sourced it from other states.