Not a drop more to Haryana: Punjab parties unite to pass resolution

Punjab legislators, cutting across political lines, on Monday unanimously passed a resolution in the Vidhan Sabha, stating that the state will not give a single drop of water from its share to Haryana. This comes amidst a stand-off between the two states over the release of additional water to Haryana.

The Punjab MLAs also sought the reconstitution of the Bhakra Beas Management Board “to protect the rights of the people”. The resolution was passed against the BJP, which is in power in Haryana and at the Centre, much to the displeasure of the Punjab's two BJP MLAs.

However, the target of the treasury benches in Monday’s session was clearly the Congress, as most of Punjab’s river water-sharing agreements were signed during the tenure of its governments. Though Congress MLAs repeatedly urged moving forward from past decisions, the treasury benches demanded an apology from them.

The resolution, moved by Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, was passed during a special one-day Assembly session convened to discuss the BBMB's April 30 order, directing the state to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana, despite the neighbouring state "having already exhausted" its allocated share for the September–May depletion period. Punjab has been releasing 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana on “humanitarian” grounds since April 4.

“The 4,000 cusecs of water being given to Haryana for drinking purposes will continue as a matter of humanity, but not even a drop more will be given,” declared Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

The resolution stated, “This House strongly condemns the illegal and unconstitutional convening of the BBMB meeting by the BJP. The Sutlej, Ravi and Beas pass through only Punjab. Then on what basis is their water being given to other states? In 1981, when the agreement to share the water of these rivers was signed between the states, the amount of water written in the agreement and distributed among states was much more than the actual water now available in these rivers. Because of this, a new agreement should be made for sharing the water of these rivers.”

Goyal said for the past few days, the BJP had been attempting to usurp Punjab’s rights through its Haryana Government, the Centre and the BBMB. “By calling a meeting of the BBMB in an unconstitutional manner, an attempt is being made to forcefully provide Punjab’s rightful share to Haryana, which has used all its share of water till March 31. Now, the BJP wants to give Punjab’s water to Haryana,” he said.

He further highlighted that under the Mann government, canal water coverage in Punjab had significantly increased. “Until 2021, only 22 per cent of Punjab’s fields received canal water. But today, around 60 per cent of the fields in Punjab are getting canal water. This is why every drop of Punjab’s water has become precious. We no longer have any spare water to give to any other state,” he read from the resolution. Notably, the resolution also mentioned the Dam Safety Act, 2021, demanding its immediate repeal by the Centre.

Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa pledged unwavering support to the Punjab Government in its mission to protect the state’s water resources. Declaring water as the “soul of Punjab,” Bajwa stressed that this was not a political issue but a matter of survival for the state’s people, agriculture and future. He called for a united front across all parties to defend the state’s lifeline.

Akali Dal MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali blamed the Congress for weakening Punjab’s claims over its river waters. “Our defence on this crucial issue, even in the courts, has always been weak,” he said.

BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma stated that while the state unit of the BJP supported safeguarding Punjab’s water rights, he strongly condemned the resolution brought against his party. “We are with the government on this issue of not giving any additional water to another state,” he said.