CHANDIGARH: Congress Legislature Party leader Charanjit Singh Channi today asked Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to prove his sincerity on the river water issue and called upon him to seek public apology for "betraying" people of the state over the years.
Reacting to the call given by Badal yesterday for a stir on the SYL Canal issue, he said, "I had exposed you thoroughly in the state assembly on the SYL Canal issue but you did not care to reply to the points raised by me that are part of the record of the Punjab government and not wild allegations."
"I would like to remind you in case your memory is short-lived. The first two notices for the acquisition of land for the SYL Canal project were issued on February 2, 1978 when you were the Chief Minister," he said.
He also referred to a letter dated July 4, 1978, written by the Badal government to Haryana government seeking release of Rs 3 crore for acquiring land.
He said Badal should come out with specific answers and claimed that SYL's construction process was initiated by him.
Demanding a public apology from Badal, he said while his government took the first steps towards the implementation of this project, it was the Akali Dal government led by Surjit Singh Barnala that constructed a major portion of it.
He claimed Badal himself had committed in writing to completing this canal when he ratified the Punjab Accord.
Channi also said giving back land to the farmers is Congress' programme which the SAD-BJP government followed.
Badal had intentionally deceived the people of Punjab by not taking the Governor's assent on the bill, he claimed.
He said instead of resolving the issue by pressing the Centre, Badal wanted to create a law and order problem and claimed that he was responsible for black days in Punjab for two decades.