Congress opposes move to open BBMB posts beyond Punjab, Haryana

Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Tuesday said the Union Home Minister appeared to be working on imposing Governor’s rule in Punjab to rule over Punjab by proxy.

He also took strong exception to the Centre’s latest move to open the membership of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to outsiders and not restrict it to Punjab and Haryana as was the practice till now.

Talking to reporters in Chandigarh, Warring said this was yet another attempt by the Union Home Minister to undermine the leftover powers of Punjab. He said this was a clear attack on the federal structure of the country as the centre was gradually encroaching upon the jurisdiction of the states.

He criticised the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab for remaining in deep slumber while the BJP-led centre was continuing with its assaults on the authority of Punjab.

He said that earlier, the BBMB Chairman was appointed from outside, and later the Centre attempted to scrap Panjab University Senate elections and change the university’s name. Now, he added, Punjab’s rights over BBMB membership have been curtailed. He also cited the Chandigarh administration’s decision to allow Haryana to construct its Assembly building in the UT.

Asked whether he would demand an all-party meeting on the issue, he said that it hardly serves any purpose. He said the government just passes a resolution and shrugs off its responsibility with that.

Warring suggested that the AAP government must adopt strong legal recourse and approach the Supreme Court and fight the case legally. Otherwise, he warned, such signals don’t portend well for Punjab, apprehending that very soon the BJP government at the centre may start the process of giving away Punjab’s water to Haryana through the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal.