DW BUREAU

Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Shruti Choudhry on Friday said the state government may approach Supreme Court over the fresh water-sharing dispute with Punjab.

Choudhry said Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) allocates water to the partner states and Punjab should not raise an objection. She also accused Punjab's Bhagwant Mann dispensation of politicising the issue.

"We had tried to not let the matter escalate. But Mann gave it a political colour," said Choudhry, who is also the granddaughter of former Haryana chief minister late Bansi Lal. She said the Haryana government is fully committed to protecting the state's legitimate share. "If this issue is not resolved, we will approach the Supreme Court. We have the complete data on Haryana's water receipts. All the relevant facts will be presented before the court," the minister said.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also chaired an-all party meeting over the issue here on Friday, had earlier asserted that his government will not release additional water to the neighbouring state, claiming that it has already utilised 103 per cent of its allocated share.

Mann had also accused the BJP of exerting pressure on Punjab government through the BBMB to meet Haryana's demand.

Hitting out at Mann, Choudhry said, "When a chief minister uses such language for a neighbouring state, imagine the kind of petty politics he is doing. During the Delhi assembly polls, we saw how (AAP convener) Arvind Kejriwal did politics over the Yamuna water." "What message is Punjab trying to give at a juncture when the entire India has united against terrorism? They say they don't have a drop to spare for a neighbouring state even if it is wasted and flows to

Pakistan," she said.

(editor@dailyworld.in)