Prominent leaders of Opposition parties in Punjab, often seen on opposing sides of the political spectrum, Friday stood united as they opposed sharing of state’s waters with any other state and invoked both the riparian principle and federalism.
The leaders, from the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal, along with some experts and intellectuals shared the platform during seminar — ‘Punjab Waters: Unmasking the Crisis — hosted by NGO Saarthi at the Panjab University campus. The event, coordinated by Punjab Congress MLA Pargat Singh, comes days ahead of a debate on issues of Punjab, especially the Sutlej Yamuna Link canal, that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is organizing on November 1 and to which he has challenged the Opposition leaders. The seminar at PU didn’t see participation of the ruling AAP.
Those who attended the seminar included state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, SAD leaders Bikram Singh Majithia, Daljit Cheema, Congress MLA Sandeep Jakhar, former ministers Tript Rajinder Bajwa, SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann, former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, Youth Congress leader Brinder Singh Dhillon, MPs Dr Amar Singh and Mohammad Sadiq and independent MLA Rana Inder Partap among others. Veterans including Jagmeet Singh Brar and Balwant Singh Ramoowalia also participated in the seminar which lasted over five hours.
The seminar — designed to illuminate the critical water crisis engulfing Punjab, fostering a space for experts, scholars, and political figures to engage in meaningful dialogue and collaboratively seek sustainable solutions — saw the panelists and the politicians standing by the right of the riparian state.
The event transcended political rhetoric, emphasizing the need for informed discussion and unity in addressing one of Punjab’s most pressing issues.
The leaders were seen sitting among the audience and listening to the panelists as everybody advocated that the politicians should stop the blame game, and get on the same platform to reiterate Punjab’s right on its waters
The panelists included former IAS officer and scholar Prof Gurtej Singh, veteran journalist Sukhdev Singh, an intellectual and activist for the rights of Punjab Dr Pyara Lal Garg, former MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi and former journalist Gurpreet Singh Mandiani.
Noted lawyer Rajwinder Singh Bains addressed the seminar remotely through a video. Bains, who had filed a petition in the Supreme Court on the issue of sharing of waters, said that riparian principles were followed the world over but it was ignored while forcing Punjab to share water with other states. He said that there is a provision in the Water Disputes Act of 1956 to form a tribunal to divide the water where rivers cross. But Haryana and Rajasthan were neither riparian nor basin states.
Gurtej Singh said that Punjab makes for only 1.5 per cent land, but produced 60 per cent of the grains of the entire country. ‘We should put forth our case in front of the world. Why do they want to usurp our right over water,’ he asked.
Gandhi said he was taking a radical view but ‘Punjab should stop water to Bikaner; then they will go to court and then the agreement will be renewed’.
‘Politicians say we are not giving even a drop to any state. But we are already giving 12 MAF to other states. Haryana water should also be divided if Punjab’s water is being divided. The water crisis is not a political issue; it is a matter of survival. We need to rise above party politics and work together to find sustainable solutions’.
Dr Garg said that Punjab should have strongly exercised its right to water. ‘We did not show to the world that the water is rightfully ours. We may or may not have a drop to spare but it is our right to stake a claim on water. We should have said it is our right’.
Speaking at the event, Jakhar said even a drop of water won’t be allowed to go out of the state. ‘If water is given at the cost of our (Punjab’s) rights, that will not be tolerated,’ said Jakhar.
SAD senior leader Cheema said, ‘The seminar has set the stage for ongoing discussions and collaborative efforts. We must keep this momentum going, ensuring that the water crisis remains at the forefront of our political agenda. Our future generations depend on us.’
Under no condition, SYL canal construction will be allowed, he said.
Attacking CM Mann, he said, ‘But the person who should be seen serious on this issue, that seriousness is not seen in him’.
Cheema slammed Mann over the SYL canal issue, accusing him of ‘deliberately hatching a conspiracy to dilute Punjab’s stand-in and outside the Supreme Court’.
Pargat Singh, the convener of the event, expressed his gratitude and hope, stating, ‘Today, we have witnessed a historic moment in Punjab’s political history. Leaders from all corners of the state have come together, setting aside their differences, to address the water crisis that threatens our future. This is the beginning of a new era of dialogue and collaboration’.
