M A I N   N E W S

Oppn backs Chautala on SYL issue
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 10 — Even as the issue of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal dominated the discussion in the Haryana Assembly today, the Opposition legislators, cutting across party lines, assured the state government full cooperation if it tries to sort out this contentious issue between Punjab and Haryana.

The Leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Mr Bhajan Lal, while participating in the debate on Governor’s Address said that the state government’s stance of sorting out the SYL canal issue was just a hoax. “I will consider the Chief Minister, God if he can really solve the issue which is so important for people of Haryana.”

Mr Bhajan Lal said the INLD chief had excellent personal relationship with the Punjab Chief Minister, and added that in the Centre also the government is headed by an ally of the INLD. “I shall request Mr Chautala to take advantage of the situation and sort out the tangle, the Congress party will fully back him in this endeavour, including taking part in any agitation regarding this issue”, Mr Bhajan Lal said. The CLP chief, however, added that whatever work had been done vis a vis the SYL canal, they were carried out during successive Congress regimes in the State and in the Centre.

The Congress leader also touched upon the issue of Mr Chautala’s poll promise of providing free power and water to the farmers and said that Mr Chautala apparently had abandoned this promise. He also sought a clarification from the government on the status of the loan being received by the state government for carrying out reforms in the State’s power sector.

Mr Bhajan Lal also criticised the state government for abolition of 29 municipal committees in Haryana and said that the decision to abolish the MCs must be reconsidered.

The Congress leader started his speech by saying that he would not like to comment upon the Governor’s Address because the Government was still new and added that Chautala-led regime’s previous stint of six months also did not deserve any comment as the government did not do any real work during the period, and it only made announcements.

Later on, however, Mr Bhajan Lal decided to make two points about the Governor’s Address. He said that the Governor’s Address did not make any mention of the Shivalik Development Board and the Mewat Development Board. There was lot of talk about improving the lot of farmers and the people living in villages in the Governor’s Address but nothing concrete was suggested for this purpose, the CLP chief also pointed out.

Mr Bhajan Lal continued with his speech though he was intermittently interrupted by the legislators of ruling party.

Participating in the discussion, Mr Bansi Lal (HVP) too urged the government to sort out the pending issues between Punjab and Haryana and assured the government of full support by his party. Mr Bansi Lal also claimed that most of the achievements in the power sector, which figured in the Governor’s speech, were actually initiated by him.

There were some amusing moments in the House as Mr Bhajan Lal, who was sitting close to Mr Bansi Lal, kept on saying that some of the works in the power sector had been actually initiated by him. Mr Bansi Lal also spoke about expansion of the Yamuna Action Plan and taking up the issue of incomplete desilting work of Bhakra-Narwana canal with Punjab.

A number of Congress legislators, including Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, Mr Dharambir Singh, Rao Narinder Singh, Inderjit Singh, INLD legislators such as Rambhagat, Balwant Maina, Yashbir Manohar etc, Independent MLAs Rajendra Bisla, Udhayabhan, Gopichand Gehlot etc, BSP legislator Mr Bishen Singh and also participated in the discussion. Among the women legislators Ms Veena Chhiber (BJP) and Ms Anita Yadav (Congress) also spoke.

While the legislators dwelt on various issues, the common thread of their speeches was to sort out the disputed issues between Punjab and Haryana in the light of Eradi Commission and Shah Commission recommendations for which they assured the government full cooperation.

Earlier, INLD legislator Rampal Majra moved the motion to thank the Governor, for his address to the House, by the Vidhan Sabha. He said that the SYL issue should be sorted out with the help of a Central agency such as the BRO (Border Road Organisation). The motion was seconded by the Legislature Party leader, Mr Krishan Pal Gujjar.