Never favoured SYL: Amarinder

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Dasuya (Hoshiarpur), July 25

Rubbishing the Shiromani Akali Dal’s allegation that he backed the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal in 1982, PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh said here today that he had clarified his stand to her at that time.

“Since the PM was coming to my constituency, I was duty-bound to receive her,” he said. Capt said it was Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his then Haryana counterpart Chaudhry Devi Lal who had started the process of constructing the canal, not the Congress.

“This was recorded in the proceedings of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha and it’s there for anybody to see,” he said while speaking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the ‘Halke Vich Captain’ programme.

He said all three Lok Sabha MPs from Punjab – Ravneet Singh Bittu, Santokh Singh Chaudhary and himself — would resign, along with all state party MLAs, in case of an adverse judgment by the Supreme Court on the SYL canal.

When asked that such a move would reduce the Congress tally in the Lower House to 41 from 44, Capt said, “Figures do not matter. We are already in the minority in the Lok Sabha. For me, interests of Punjab are supreme.”

On how the party high command had reacted to his decision, Amarinder said, “Since the matter pertains to Punjab, they are not interfering.”

Captain expressed happiness that Rajya Sabha MP Partap Bajwa had endorsed his announcement of tendering resignations en masse. “But we are not asking RS members to resign as they come through nominations. Only elected members from Punjab will resign,” he clarified.

Amarinder said the party candidates would be announced in September. “The last date for receiving the applications is August 15. No form will be accepted even a day later,” he added.