AAP compromised on state’s interests: SAD

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann “not to indulge in theatrics” on the issue of the sharing of river waters.

In a statement, he said the SAD would launch an agitation if excess state water was given to Haryana or any other state.

Badal also asked Mann to tell Punjabis why the AAP government “sold off the interests of the state by releasing 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana a month ago and failed to ward off the release of another 8,500 cusecs now”.

The SAD president said it was highly condemnable that instead of addressing the issue of desertification of Punjab, ruling AAP was indulging in “dharnas” to deflect attention from the issue.

“Not only did Bhagwant Mann admit in writing that Punjab had started releasing 4,000 cusecs of additional water to Haryana since the last one month, but also admitted that the Haryana Chief Minister had called him on April 23 and requested for the release of another 8,000 cusecs of water,” he said.

“Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini has given a statement on record that Mann agreed to this demand. Instead of indulging in dramas now, he should tell on whose direction and permission he had sold off the river waters of Punjab to Haryana,” Badal said.

Punjab