DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday termed Haryana's demand for an increased share of Nangal dam water a "brazen loot" of Punjab's resources and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the dispute. In a letter to the prime minister, Shiromani Akali Dal president Badal said his party will not remain a mute witness to any "discrimination" against Punjab on this or any other issue.

"We will exercise our democratic right to peacefully ensure that no injustice is done to the state," he said.

A fresh row between both states erupted a few days back when the Punjab government refused to release more water to Haryana, claiming that it had "already used 103 per cent of the allocated water by March". The Punjab government strongly objected to the decision of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to give more water to Haryana.

The matter escalated with the AAP government refusing to allow more water into its neighbouring state and the BJP government's statements that it will safeguard Haryana's "rightful share of water". In his letter, Badal said Haryana has already used up more than the full share of rivers which too had been "unfairly" allocated to it as it has no right on those waters. "Instead of being grateful to Punjab, it brazenly demands even more water," he said.

Badal wrote, "A fresh controversy has been created by the increasing and utterly irrational demands on Punjab's River waters by the non-Riparian state, Haryana.

"Actually, it is wrong to call it a river water dispute as it is pure loot of our natural resource. Already, Rajasthan and Haryana have been made illegal beneficiaries of Punjab's only natural resource -- the river waters -- violating the Riparian principle, the only principle applied in national and international issues on river water allocation. Neither Haryana nor Rajasthan is a Riparian state." He said that the SAD has consistently opposed this discrimination as he was pointing towards the Sutlej Yamuna Link canal issue.

"I want to caution the country that the same reasons can lead to the same tragedy. Removing these reasons and preventing the recurrence of that tragedy must be regarded as a national priority. We seek no favours, only justice," wrote Badal.

"I request your kind intervention to prevent any such injustice and to take appropriate steps to undo discrimination already done in other areas against our patriotic border state," he said.

Haryana had demanded 8,500 cusecs of water while Punjab is already giving 4,000 cusecs on humanitarian grounds for drinking purposes.

(editor@dailyworld.in)