Punjab must give up its stubborn attitude over SYL issue: Haryana CM

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said that Punjab will have to give up its stubbornness over the issue of the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal (SYL) as, in a democratic country, states cannot run arbitrarily. He also hoped that Haryana will get its rightful share of water.

Addressing a Jal Adhikar Rally at ITI ground in Narnaul, the chief minister said that the SYL case has been pending for decades. As soon as the present government had been formed, a plea to hear the matter ahead of time had been made, after which the Supreme Court had ruled in favour of Haryana. The court had asked the chief ministers of the two states to sit down and decide, but Punjab had not agreed to give Haryana its rightful share.

He further said, “In a democracy, there is a way to protest. Protests can be made before the House and the media or by gathering democratically.”

On the occasion, Khattar also spoke on the ongoing agitation against the farm laws and assured farmers that he would leave politics if there was any kind of threat to the Minimum Support Price (MSP). He said that the government is thinking beyond the MSP through the new agricultural laws but that the MSP will continue like before. Similarly, mandis will continue to function, he added.

He said that some people are agitating politically and are not farmer-friendly. “We should talk about SYL water with the farmers of Punjab sitting on the border,” he added.

The Haryana CM further said that all three agricultural laws are for the benefit of farmers. “This will free the farmers from bondage,” he said, adding that the government will procure crops from farmers in the mandis at MSP, but if the farmer wants to sell it outside at a higher price, he will have complete freedom to do so. In addition, these new laws also aim to improve the storage system, he said.