In Punjab, Haryana, Delhi wars, BJP navigates treacherous waters
After a meeting of Punjab's major political parties on the water-sharing dispute with Haryana on Friday, Punjab BJP has stoutly defended the state's interests, saying not a drop of the state's water will go elsewhere.
While this position is not in sync with the party's stance in Haryana and Delhi — Haryana on Friday said it would approach the Supreme Court — in an effort not to appear to be on the same page as the state's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, Punjab BJP has also targeted Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for allegedly mishandling the situation.
At the all-party meeting Mann chaired, state BJP president Sunil Jakhar said he was firmly on the side of the state. 'You have made a 'retired' person come out of the house when it comes to the rights of Punjab. The BJP stands with Punjab's rights always,' he told reporters after the meeting. Jakhar had submitted his resignation as state BJP chief last year, but the party's central leadership has not accepted it yet, and no replacement has been announced.
Careful not to appear to be siding with the Mann administration, Jakhar said, 'The BJP has always firmly stood for Punjab's interests and maintained a clear stance that Punjab has no surplus water to share with any state. Resorting to petty politics over providing drinking water on humanitarian grounds may suit the AAP, but it goes against the spirit and principles of Punjabiyat. Punjab is a land where people give chabeels (a sweet drink typically made of milk, sugar, and water) to commuters.'
He added that he would raise the matter with the party's central leadership to ensure such situations do not recur.
On Friday, the Punjab BJP also tried to keep up the pressure on Mann by organising dharnas in districts to protest against his government's 'failure' to effectively represent Punjab's case before the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) that resulted in the allotment of 8,500 cusecs of excess water daily to Haryana. The party burned effigies of CM Mann at the protests.
Former Patiala MP Preneet Kaur said Punjab already had '115 dark zones' due to the depletion of groundwater. 'Under such conditions, we don't have excess water for anyone else. The BJP stands tall with Punjab voters. However, we believe that the AAP's response to this issue was more drama and less groundwork. They couldn't present themselves in a better way and ended up giving excess water to Haryana. So, the one who has robbed Punjab's waters is the Punjab CM,' Kaur said on Friday. Her remarks came at a time when her husband and former CM Captain Amarinder Singh is in Delhi to meet BJP national president J P Nadda.
'Whenever it comes to the interests of Punjab, we are standing with Punjab's people first of all,' said state BJP general secretary Anil Sarin. When pointed out that the downstream states such as Haryana and Rajasthan and the National Capital Region of Delhi now had BJP governments, he said, 'We have to look for the interests of Punjab. They can look for their own interests. Our stand is very clear.'
BJP leaders in Delhi criticised the AAP leadership in Punjab for the crisis while sidestepping their own state unit's stand on the issue.
'When Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann are playing dirty politics over drinking water, Nayab Saini (Haryana CM) has shown the true spirit of our nation's culture as he has said, 'Punjab is our elder brother, and if needed, we will even share our own share of water.' Every Punjabi thinks this way, we don't let even our enemies go thirsty. But Kejriwal has corrupted even a true Punjabi like Bhagwant Mann, making his thinking narrow and driven by political selfishness,' said Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
His Delhi Cabinet colleague Parvesh Sahib Singh also accused the Mann government of playing 'dirty politics' by 'blocking water meant for Haryana and Delhi'. 'We are working day and night to provide clean water to every household in Delhi and now the Punjab government wants to take revenge on the people of Delhi like this,' he alleged.
The Punjab BJP's protests came a day after the AAP held demonstrations outside the offices and residences of its leaders, accusing the BJP in Haryana and in Delhi of infringing upon Punjab's water rights.
AAP state president Aman Arora and senior spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang wrote to Jakhar and Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, asking them to clarify whether they stood with Punjab or their party colleagues in Haryana and Delhi.
Bittu, the Union MoS for Railways and Food Processing, in response, said the AAP had failed to stand its ground during the recent meeting with the BBMB. 'Unprepared and clueless, their team stayed silent as Haryana demanded more water. Why didn't CM Mann defend Punjab's needs? BJP stands firm: not a drop of Punjab's water will go elsewhere.'
BJP insiders said Punjab had released excess water to Haryana in the last three years as well after Haryana exhausted its allocated share, and the same water flowed towards Delhi. 'During those years, Delhi also had an AAP government and the AAP did not politicise the issue. However, now that the BJP rules Delhi, the Punjab CM has suddenly taken a stand for the state,' said a senior BJP leader.
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