Punjab-Haryana Water Row Escalates As Mann Says ‘Not A Drop’ To Be Given, Saini Slams AAP’s ‘Dirty Politics’

The ongoing dispute over water sharing between Punjab and Haryana has deepened, with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann declaring that not even “a single drop” of water would be released to the neighbouring state. Mann, addressing the media after visiting the Nangal dam in Rupnagar on Thursday, said Haryana had already utilised 103 per cent of its allocated share. Mann was accompanied by state minister Harjot Singh Bains, who, along with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers, staged a ‘dharna’ at the Nangal dam.

Bains claimed that they locked a room from where water supply is regulated in protest. The flashpoint came after the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) decided on Wednesday to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana, a move Punjab strongly opposed. The Punjab Chief Minister alleged that the decision was taken in collusion between the BJP-ruled states of Haryana and Rajasthan, bypassing Punjab’s objections, news agency PTI reported.

“How could they bypass Punjab and take away water? We did not sign (that decision),” said Mann, adding, “Not even a single drop of water will be given. We do not have water. Do not expect water from us.”

Mann also pointed to decreasing water levels in the Bhakra, Pong, and Ranjit Sagar dams, warning of a potential crisis ahead of the paddy sowing season. He said that the BBMB had already distributed 3.318 million acre feet (MAF), 2.987 MAF, and 5.512 MAF to Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab, respectively. Haryana, he claimed, had used up its entire share by March 31, following which Punjab had, as a humanitarian gesture, provided 4,000 cusecs of water daily from April 6.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has decided to convene a special session of the Vidhan Sabha on Monday to discuss and take steps to protect the state's water resources amid the row over water sharing with Haryana, PTI reported. The ruling AAP has also called an all-party meeting on Friday morning over the issue.

The decisions were taken during a meeting of AAP ministers, MLAs, and other senior party leaders. The meeting was attended by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini Says, 'Never Before Was Water Cut Like This'

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini accused the AAP of “dirty politics” and claimed that this was the first time the drinking water supply had been halted. “Earlier too, I had told Bhagwant Mann that he should do politics of development,” said Saini at a press conference in Panchkula.

“We used to get nearly 9,000 cusecs of water from them in April, May and June each year. Of this quantity, Delhi gets 500 cusecs, Rajasthan 800 cusecs… We are left with less than 7,000 cusecs,” he said, as per PTI. “If Punjab remains thirsty, we will cut our share of water and give it to the people of Punjab, that is our culture,” he added.

Saini further claimed, “So far, there has not been any dispute till today pertaining to drinking water. Never before was water cut like this. They are playing dirty politics in view of approaching polls. But people of Punjab, the farmers there also understand what they are doing, they are wise.”

He also questioned why a political row was being created over a basic necessity. “It’s not like we are asking for water supply for irrigation purposes. We are for the supply of drinking water,” he said.

Hitting out at former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Saini alleged, “At the time of Delhi polls, he accused Haryana of mixing poison in Yamuna. They (AAP) are not able to digest the defeat they had to face in the Delhi polls. The poll loss has shocked Kejriwal.”

Politicising Drinking Water Is Arvind Kejriwal’s Old Habit: Haryana BJP President Mohan Lal Badoli

Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli echoed similar views, accusing Kejriwal of politicising the water issue and instigating Mann to withhold water as revenge for AAP’s defeat in the Delhi elections.

“Politicising a matter like drinking water is Arvind Kejriwal’s old habit… To take revenge on the people of Delhi for their loss in the elections, Kejriwal instigated Bhagwant Mann to make such statements,” Badoli told news agency ANI.

Delhi minister Parvesh Sahib Singh also weighed in, alleging in a post on X that the Punjab government was deliberately blocking water to both Haryana and Delhi. “The Punjab government has resorted to dirty politics by stopping the water supply to Haryana and Delhi. After losing in Delhi, now they want to create a water crisis in Delhi,” he wrote.

Singh accused Punjab of attempting “revenge” on Delhi’s residents. “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 in this way. Stop this dirty politics or else you will be expelled from Punjab as well,” he said.

Meanwhile, Saini clarified that Haryana had only received 4,000 cusecs of drinking water in the past week — around 60 per cent of the state’s total demand. He noted that the BBMB meeting’s water allocation would amount to “only 0.0001 per cent of Bhakra Dam’s water reservoir.”

While Punjab maintains that it has no surplus water, Haryana continues to assert that it has not received its rightful share, particularly for drinking purposes. The political impasse comes as temperatures rise across the region, exacerbating concerns over water availability.

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