SYL to wash over other issues in poll debate?

Jalandhar: The Supreme Court order declaring the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, unconstitutional seems to have planted the issue of water sharing firmly at the centre of whole political debate just before the assembly elections. Though right from the beginning of this year, the SYL canal issue has been constantly on political parties' agenda, other issues like drug trade, corruption and farming crisis were also getting their share in poll debates. However, coming so close to the elections, the tangled and emotive issue of river waters, born with trifurcation of Punjab 50 years ago, has almost totally overshadowed them.

That it can impact political fortunes in the state is clear from the game of one-upmanship that has already started with each party trying to sound more aggressive than the others. The oldest issue of the state thus may yet redefine the future of the state and the three principal players - SAD, the Congress and AAP.

There is strong competition between the Congress and SAD to project themselves as 'Punjab De Panian De Rakha' (the protector of Punjab's river waters), with both Capt Amarinder Singh and chief minister Parkash Singh Badal claiming the title. Both the parties are trying to shed the baggage of the past on the issue as their stands today are not exactly in line with what they had done over the decades. They want to wish away some of their own actions but want people to remember what wrong was done by the opponent.

Likewise, Aam Aadmi Party is also trying to score on the issue. Due to being a new entrant on the political stage, it did not have the baggage like the Congress and SAD but still managed to tie itself in knots by changing stands on the issue in March this year after hearing in the Supreme Court started. In fact, a radical stand on the issue can hit it in Delhi as latter is also getting 0.2 MAF (Million Acre Feet) water from Punjab rivers under the same agreements which are being termed "anti-Punjab".

Ever since Captain Amarinder Singh's government brought in the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act in June 2004, which was passed by the state assembly unanimously, the Congress projected him protector of the river waters of Punjab. The SAD started using same 'title' for Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and deputy CM Sukhbir Badal after SAD-BJP passed a resolution in the state assembly de-notifying the acquisition of land the canal.

Resorting to symbolism, March 16, CM Badal even sent a cheque of Rs 191.75 crore in a bid to return the money Haryana had paid as compensation to Punjab farmers for land acquisition. As expected, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar returned the cheque the next day.

In 1976 and in 1981 when crucial decisions were taken about distribution of river waters among Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal, it was Congress government everywhere. Now, it is BJP in power in all the impacted states - which get large shares in river water — except Delhi. What is common between the Congress and BJP is that their respective state units speak in different language on the issue.

If it was Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who awarded in 1976, during Emergency days, water distribution among the states, it was Parkash Singh Badal-led government which issued notification for acquisition of land in February 1978.

Underplaying their own contradictions, all the three parties in Punjab will want people of the state to look at it from the position of today. However, there is not much difference in their approach on the issue now.