SYL row: INLD threatens Parliament gherao, seeks PM’s intervention

Chandigarh, February 27

The INLD on Monday threatened to gherao Parliament on March 15 and hold demonstration at Jantar Mantar in Delhi if Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not intervene in the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue.

“INLD will fight a decisive war on the issue of SYL and announce the party’s next course of action over the matter on March 15,” Leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly Abhay Chautala said here.

He lashed out at Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar “not taking the SYL issue seriously” in the past three years and not meeting the Prime Minister over the issue.

“Khattar has no moral right to continue on his post,” Chautala said and described him as a “weak” leader who should immediately resign from the post.

“If the PM does not give us time to meet him till March 15, we will gherao the Parliament,” Chautala threatened and claimed that the interests of Haryana on rights over waters of rivers have been always ignored.

He said INLD is not ready to accompany Khattar to meet the Prime Minister on the issue of SYL.

“INLD will never stand with a weak person like Khattar,” he said and added that his party will intensify its fight for the construction of SYL.

“We are prepared to get arrested... make any kind of sacrifice for the construction of SYL,” said Chautala, who along with 72 INLD activists was today released from Patiala central jail.

They were arrested on February 23 near Shambhu barrier at Haryana-Punjab border for breaching prohibitory orders and trying to move into Punjab in a bid to dig the SYL canal.

The SYL canal issue refers dispute between Punjab and Haryana, in which the Supreme Court recently held that it was unconstitutional for the Punjab state government to terminate a water sharing agreement with other states. — PTI