Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], May 17 (HBTV): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday strongly condemned the Punjab government's resolution opposing the release of additional water to Haryana, urging Punjab to provide drinking water without imposing any conditions.

Saini criticised the administration of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing it of indulging in ‘appeasement politics’ and warned that such actions would reduce the government's stature to that of the Congress.

‘The Haryana cabinet has condemned the proposal passed by the Bhagwant Mann leaders over the water-sharing issue. We request that the Punjab government release drinking water for the people of Haryana without any conditions. The people of Punjab are seeing all this, and if the Mann government continues with this appeasement politics, it will stand on the same line as Congress,’ Saini said, addressing the ongoing dispute between the two states.

Earlier in the day, Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal moved a resolution in the Punjab Legislative Assembly during a special session, firmly opposing the Bhakra Beas Management Board’s (BBMB) decision to release an additional 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana.

Declaring that ‘not a single drop of extra water’ would be released, Goyal accused the BBMB of acting as a ‘puppet of the BJP’ and conspiring to undermine Punjab’s water rights through what he called illegal and unconstitutional means.

Goyal explained that Punjab had already provided 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana on humanitarian grounds but would not release any additional water from its share. He described the BBMB’s late-night meeting on April 30 as ‘illegal’ and a deliberate attempt to divert Punjab’s rightful water to Haryana.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also weighed in on the issue, accusing Haryana of mismanaging its allocated water from the Bhakra Dam.

‘As per the data, they (Haryana) used up their share by 31st March. Still, we are providing them with drinking water. They will receive water on the night of 20th May. For 15 days, they will have to suffer the consequences of their mistake. We had written six letters to them. There used to be a meeting every month, and we used to write to them every month that their water share would finish this time... Still, they paid no heed... Punjab repealed the Dam Safety Act,’ Mann said.

Criticising the functioning of the BBMB, Mann added, ‘BBMB's conduct is dictatorial, this has been strongly opposed... It has been pointed out that BBMB has become a “white elephant”. Punjab bears the expenses, but Punjab is bypassed and decisions are passed. They call meetings at 3-4 hours' notice. But emergency meetings also require a week's notice... They don't even give 6-7 hours. So, BBMB should be reconstituted.’

(ANI)