‘No water to spare': Congress backs AAP govt, but asks it to stop dharna drama

Indian Express

02-05-2025

The Punjab Congress leadership Thursday said that the state did not have a drop of water to spare for Haryana and blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for orchestrating injustice against Punjab's farmers in the intensifying water dispute with Haryana.
In a statement, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring warned that people of the state will not allow a single drop of extra water to flow to any other state.
He said what has been the rightful due of Haryana has already been provided to it and it cannot seek extra water when Punjab was itself too much short of it.
The PCC president demanded that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann must call an emergency all- party meeting to devise an effective strategy to save Punjab's waters.
Referring to the AAP announcement of holding protests and dharnas, he said it was just a drama aimed at diverting the public attention. 'When you are in government, why do you need to stage any dharna?' he asked the AAP government while telling it to stop this 'drama' and take everyone along.
Warring said there was no reason for Haryana to seek extra water when it had already got its share. 'We cannot let our own state go dry to provide water to others,' he said while assuring full support and cooperation to the government to deal with the situation.
The PCC president accused the AAP government of hypocrisy, alleging it had a secret understanding with the BJP which was exposed when it unleashed a reign of terror on the peacefully protesting farmers. 'When you already have such an understanding with the BJP, why do you need to enact the drama of protests?' he asked the AAP leadership, while warning it against any compromise or surrender of Punjab's water to any other state.
Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa said with Punjab's reservoirs depleted and 76.5 per cent of its groundwater blocks overexploited, Haryana's demand for 8,500 cusecs threatens Punjab's agricultural backbone which produces 185 lakh metric tonnes for India's food security.
Bajwa accused the BJP of sacrificing Punjab for political gains, demanding urgent action to safeguard the state's water rights. 'Haryana has already consumed 103 per cent of its 2.987 MAF water share, yet seeks more, flouting prior agreements,' he said.
The LoP said the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), under BJP's political grip, has dismissed Punjab's evidence of Haryana's overdraw, railroading the state's objections in recent deliberations.