CHANDIGARH: Amid the ongoing stand-off between Punjab and Haryana over water sharing, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday questioned the silence of the Union government on the issue. He also urged the Centre to instruct the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab not to obstruct Haryana’s water allocation.
Surjewala questioned why the Narendra Modi-led NDA government is not issuing written orders to the Mann government under Article 257 of the Constitution, which deals with the control of the Union over states in certain cases.
“Why is it not giving directions to ensure Haryana’s water is not stopped?” he asked.
The senior Congress leader alleged that since the assembly elections in Punjab are scheduled for 2027, the BJP is deliberately maintaining silence and avoiding action. According to him, the BJP is trying to portray Bhagwant Mann as a hero in order to prevent the Congress from coming to power in Punjab at any cost.
“A controversy was deliberately created over the water from the Bhakra Nangal Dam, although it was entirely avoidable,” Surjewala claimed.
“The fact is that the water level in the dam currently stands at 1,556 feet. As per the parameters, the water level should be maintained at a minimum of 1,506 feet. If 8,500 cusecs of water is supplied daily to Haryana, by May 21 the level would still be at 1,532 feet—well above the minimum required level. So, what objection can any state have in such a situation? Yet objections are being fabricated to help the BJP support the sinking ship of Mann,” he alleged.
Surjewala also criticised the chief ministers of both Punjab and Haryana, claiming they are indulging in rhetoric while the Union government remains inactive.
“Despite the severe water shortage, Mann and Saini are busy writing letters to each other. Instead of meeting the Prime Minister and Power Minister, the Haryana CM is staging a drama with an all-party meeting and talking about approaching the Supreme Court,” he said.
He accused the central government of ignoring the issue altogether. “The Union government is sleeping as if Punjab and Haryana don’t exist. The Bhakra Beas Management Board, which falls under the Centre’s Power Ministry, is doing nothing,” Surjewala alleged.
Highlighting the impact on Haryana, Surjewala said the state is facing a severe water crisis, especially in the districts of Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Jind, Fatehabad, Rewari, Bhiwani, Dadri, Mahendragarh, and Sirsa. He noted that water supply from Bhakra Dam has been reduced from 8,500 cusecs to 4,000 cusecs. “In this scorching heat, around 215 water works have dried up, and village ponds are nearly empty. Cattle are on the verge of dying of thirst, and tanker mafias are charging Rs 1,000 per tanker. The cotton crop (Narma) must be sown by May 15, but in the ‘Cotton Bowl’ of Haryana—Sirsa, Hisar, and Fatehabad—sowing has stopped in nearly 5 lakh hectares,” he claimed.
The stand-off between Punjab and Haryana intensified on Saturday as the Punjab government boycotted a meeting of the Bhakra Beas Management Board. Meanwhile, an all-party meeting held in Haryana called on the Punjab government to unconditionally release the water.
The AAP-ruled Punjab government has refused to release additional water to the BJP-ruled Haryana, claiming the latter had already utilised 103 percent of its allocated share by March.
