{CLP meet} Cong stands firmly with Punjab: Bajwa
The Congress stands firmly with Punjab in safeguarding its river waters, said leader of Opposition in the state assembly Partap Singh Bajwa after a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting here on Sunday.
The meeting was convened in the light of a special session of the Punjab vidhan sabha scheduled for Monday, amid escalating tensions between state and Haryana over the ongoing water dispute.
All Congress MLAs were present at the meeting, where the party strategized its stance for the assembly session. 'The Congress has always been committed to protecting Punjab's water rights. During today's internal meeting, we discussed how best to present our concerns in the vidhan sabha tomorrow,' Bajwa said. He refrained from providing specific details, stating that all issues would be thoroughly debated in the assembly first.
In response to recent comments made by senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, who hails from Haryana, Bajwa emphasised that Punjab Congress remains steadfast in representing the interests of Punjab. 'We are leaders from Punjab and our priority will always be to protect the interests of our state. Naturally, Surjewala will advocate for Haryana, just as leaders from other states do for their regions. Even the AAP Haryana president, Sushil Gupta, has voiced support for Haryana, as have BJP leaders from the state,' he said, downplaying any suggestion of internal party conflict over regional interests.
The Congress views this issue as an opportunity to corner both the state and Central governments. The party plans to corner AAP for its perceived failure to adequately defend Punjab's interests, while also taking aim at the BJP-led central government for allegedly employing unfair tactics to divert water from Punjab to Haryana and Rajasthan. However, it was also agreed that the Punjab Congress will support every effort by the AAP government to protect the state's water rights.
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and former speaker Rana KP Singh were also present at the meeting.
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