now-haryana-calls-all-party-meeting-amid-ongoing-water-dispute

The Haryana government, led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, has called an all-party meeting on Saturday to address Punjab's refusal to release additional water to the state.

 

The move follows a similar meeting held by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government earlier on Friday, during which political parties in that state took a united stance and discussed approaching Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter.

 

Haryana's meeting, to be chaired by CM Saini, will bring together representatives from all major political parties, including the Congress, INLD, JJP, AAP, BSP, and CPI(M), to deliberate on the implications of Punjab’s decision and explore the way forward.

 

The ongoing dispute intensified after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann declared his government would not release any more water to Haryana, claiming it has already utilised 103 per cent of its allocated share. Mann asserted that Punjab had been providing 4,000 cusecs of water daily to Haryana since April 6 as a humanitarian gesture, but said the Bhakra Beas Management Board’s (BBMB) directive to release more water amounted to "robbery" of Punjab’s rights.

 

In Delhi, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan chaired a high-level meeting on Friday, during which the BBMB was advised to ensure the release of 4,500 cusecs of water to Haryana for the next eight days to meet the state's urgent requirements. Parts of Rajasthan are also expected to benefit from this release.

 

Speaking in Panchkula, CM Saini criticised the Punjab government for “politicising” a sensitive issue. “Punjab is the land of the Gurus, and we bow to them,” he said, adding that his counterpart Mann should focus on working for the welfare of the people of Punjab.

 

"Such dirty politics is not good for anyone... As the head of Haryana, I assure that if the people of Punjab ever need drinking water, we will install tubewells, extract water from our ground and provide it to them. I guarantee that no person in Punjab will remain thirsty," he said.

 

"We have repeatedly said that water is a natural resource. If politics continues like this, the water will go to waste and flow into Pakistan, which has been shedding the blood of our innocent citizens," he said.

 

He reiterated that Haryana was only asking for the share of water it used to receive earlier, not more.