From the introduction and withdrawal of a notification by the Heart to reorganize the administration of Punjab College to the scrapping of the Structure Modification Invoice to carry the Union Territory of Chandigarh underneath central management, Punjab has witnessed a collection of political U-turns by the BJP within the face of backlash within the state.
Meghwal, who represents Bikaner Lok Sabha seat, landed at Amritsar airport on Thursday night time however didn’t step out of the terminal. Officers stated he boarded a flight dwelling inside two hours. Though occasions in Punjab have been canceled, Meghwal attended the one hundredth anniversary of the opening of the canal in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district on Friday together with Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
What’s the Ecanal Venture?
Constructed by Maharaja Ganga Singh of the erstwhile princely state of Bikaner, the 157 km lengthy Gan Canal attracts water from the Sutlej River in Punjab to irrigate over 300,000 hectares of land in Rajasthan, primarily in Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and Karanpur districts. The muse stone for the canal was laid on December 5, 1925, and it turned operational on October 26, 1927. For many years, Sutlej water has considerably improved Rajasthan’s agricultural economic system and helped the area combat frequent famines.
Nonetheless, the announcement of centenary celebrations in Punjab didn’t go down properly with farmers within the state, particularly these within the Malwa area, who’ve lengthy complained of water shortage on the finish of the canal community.
Farmers declare that though the Gan Canal and Indira Gandhi Canal (each flowing in the direction of Rajasthan) obtain full water from the Harike Barrage as per the settlement between the 2 states, a number of villages in Punjab proceed to face extreme water shortages. Each Punjab and Rajasthan have been witnessing frequent farmer protests over water points, with the newest violence witnessed in June-July this yr.
“Many Punjab BJP leaders got here to find out about this for the primary time as that they had shared a poster on their X-handle saying that Mr. Meghwal could be coming to Hussainiwala for the one hundredth anniversary of the opening of the canal. We have been shocked. There isn’t any doubt that Rajasthan and Punjab have pleasant relations, however water sharing is a contentious difficulty in Punjab and Punjab’s pursuits come first,” a BJP chief stated.
Sources stated that quickly after Meghwal landed in Amritsar, the Heart suggested him to return in view of the quickly rising political backlash in Punjab. “It’s good that the Union minister canceled his journey to Punjab and realized that the scheduled program was not a celebration program,” stated Bharatiya Janata Social gathering chief minister Sunil Jakhar.
BJP officers additionally stated that the get together’s state working president Ashwani Sharma had given strict directions to state leaders to not become involved within the Hussainiwala incident.
Clarifying the get together’s stand on what many understand as one other U-turn to the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering, Jakhar stated, “The get together had nothing to do with this plan. However in future we’ll be certain that nobody takes benefit of non-public agendas. Punjab’s pursuits come first. The power of Punjab is the power of the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering. We won’t permit anybody to make the most of private platforms within the identify of the get together.”
Jakhar additional added, “Ghan canal is a delicate and controversial difficulty in Punjab attributable to water sharing issues. We’re grateful that the Heart has correctly understood the sensitivities of Punjab.”
In addition to Meghwal, different BJP leaders have been additionally scheduled to attend the Hussainiwala occasion. Amongst them was Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, a nationwide BJP chief and former Congress minister from Punjab from Ferozepur. Sodhi’s son and fellow Bharatiya Janata Social gathering chief Anumet Singh Heera Sodhi stated, “It was a puja solely at Hussainiwala. Prime Minister Narendra Modi known as him (Megwal) again to Delhi for a ministry-related assembly. He flew again late on Thursday night time.”
Fourth reversal since October
The Meghwal incident marks the fourth main political reversal by the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering in Punjab in simply over a month.
On October 28, the Heart had issued a notification relating to reorganization of the Senate and Syndicate of Punjab College, which elicited sharp reactions and was subsequently withdrawn on November 7. Quickly after, a constitutional modification invoice in search of inclusion of Chandigarh in Article 240 was launched, making a political storm and forcing the Heart to make a hasty retreat. Article 240 provides the president the facility to make laws and straight legislate for federal territories, a transfer seen as weakening states’ claims to cities. On December 1, the Heart had conveyed the choice of the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering-led Haryana authorities to reject the development of one other meeting complicated in Chandigarh. The demand was first made in 2022 within the face of opposition from political events in Punjab, together with the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering.
Jacquard tried to separate the Gan Canal occasions from these earlier choices, however the controversy provoked fierce reactions from different events. Chief of Opposition in Parliament Partap Singh Bajwa on Thursday known as the proposed celebrations “insensitive and politically provocative”.
“The Ghan Canal was by no means a present to Punjab. It was a political favor given by international rulers on the expense of Punjab,” Bajwa stated, including that for Punjabis, the canal symbolized historic injustice reasonably than growth. “In a state already going through extreme water shortage, celebrating the very canal that took away Punjab’s water is an affront to our dignity. This isn’t a commemoration, it’s a provocation,” he added.
Aam Aadmi Social gathering (AAP) state spokesperson Neil Garg additionally focused the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering, saying, “In 1927, the British took away Punjab’s water and constructed this canal to please Bikaner. The fields of India have been thirsty then… and they’re even thirstier immediately. And but, is the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering plastering flowers of ‘congratulations’ on the very wound? Punjab’s water has been plundered.” And the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering is now promoting that very booty within the identify of heritage. “The suppression of historical past is one thing to be condemned, not celebrated,” he stated.
