The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) supremo and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal said that when the states were re-organised on the basis of language, the parent states were given the existing capitals. While several of the Congress MLAs including Partap Singh Bajwa and Sukhpal Singh Khaira flayed the Shah’s decision, the AAP MP Sanjay Singh raised the issue in Rajya Sabha urging the Union government not to override the rights of the elected government of Punjab.
HARYANA FLAYS PUNJAB MOVE
Countering Punjab’s move, the Haryana assembly also hurriedly convened a special session on April 5 and passed a resolution flagging its stakes over Chandigarh.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar who moved the resolution in the specially called one-day session said Haryana came into existence as per the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 which also provided for several measures to give effect to the Reorganisation of Punjab into Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and union territory Chandigarh.
Highlighting Haryana’s right to share waters of the Ravi and Beas rivers by the construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, Khattar said while the House had unanimously passed resolutions on at least seven occasions urging the early completion of the SYL canal, Punjab, contrary to several agreements, accords, Tribunal’s findings and judgments of the highest judiciary had enacted legislation to deny the claims of Haryana in the past.
Khattar said that the transfer of Hindi speaking villages from Punjab to Haryana had also not been completed either, and added that the state also noted that the recent amendment in the rules of the Bhakra Beas Management Board by the Central government for the appointment of whole-time members were against the spirit of the Act, which treats the river projects as common assets of Punjab and Haryana.
The House resolved to urge the Central government not to take any steps that would disturb the existing balance and maintain harmony till all the issues emanating from the reorganisation of Punjab were settled.
Meanwhile, the former two-time Chandigarh MP Satya Pal Jain, who is also currently additional solicitor general of India, said the charges of infringement of the rights of Punjab over Chandigarh were baseless.
He held that while the Punjab government was not able to accept the recommendations of various pay commissions for its employees, the Centre had in one go accepted a long-pending demand of UT employees. Earlier the UT employees got salary and allowances etc on the Punjab pattern, they would now get the same on the pattern of the Central government, which were more beneficial to them, he said clarifying that the same was applicable to UT employees only and not on the ones coming on deputation from Punjab (60%) and Haryana (40%). About 24,000 employees of all the departments under the Chandigarh administration are set to benefit from the decision.
