Reveal PM’s views on SYL canal, Hooda asks Khattar

NEW DELHI: Former Haryana Chief Minister BS Hooda today asked incumbent Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to make public Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response on the SYL canal when he raised the issue during a one-on-one meeting with him last Saturday.

Ravi S. Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 25

Former Haryana Chief Minister BS Hooda today asked incumbent Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to make public Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response on the SYL canal when he raised the issue during a one-on-one meeting with him last Saturday.

He asked Khattar to specify the next step he would take to ensure the construction of the canal and bring Ravi and Beas waters to the parched land of Haryana. The state’s farming community is reeling under water shortage, he added.

“The SYL canal is Haryana’s life line and it also relates to the state’s rights, integrity and dignity. People have a right to know what was the response of the Prime Minister when the Chief Minister met with him,” Hooda said.

The state government, following the Modi-Khattar meeting, quoted the Chief Minister that he had urged the Prime Minister to ensure early construction of the canal.

Hooda wondered why Khattar did not abide by his commitment to take an all-party delegation to Modi. “The SYL canal is not a personal issue of the BJP, but a sensitive matter affecting the collective psyche of the state,” he added.

“The Chief Minister has betrayed the trust of the Opposition by meeting the Prime Minister alone. Now that he has met the Prime Minister, he must disclose the latter’s response on the issue”.

It was decided at all-party meeting that the Chief Minister would take an all-party delegation to President Pranab Mukherjee (the meeting already materialised) and the Prime Minister to ensure speedy implementation of the 0Supreme Court’s order to the Union government to get the SYL canal constructed. The Opposition had assured him of all cooperation to the Haryana government in all steps it would take on the issue in the interest of the people of the state.

Hooda condemned the reported Khattar’s statement in which he suggested approaching Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to solve the SYL imbroglio, as attempt to introduce a “red-herring” to confuse the public.