Caution should be exercised on the SYL canal issue: Amarinder

Punjab Congress leader Amarinder Singh today said caution should be exercised while dealing with the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue, citing the violence in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the Cauvery dispute.
He said Supreme Court judges must take into consideration the "ground reality" before pronouncing a verdict on the issue as "a lot had changed on the ground".
At the same time, he said come what may, he will not allow "an extra drop" of water to flow out of Punjab as it could render at least 10 lakh acres of land in the Malwa region "barren".
Addressing a conference around 45 kms from here, Amarinder blamed Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for the "SYL mess", alleging that the latter's role dated back to 1978 when he was the chief minister and wanted to please his "friend" and then Haryana Chief Minister Devi Lal.

Lashing out at the Badals and state minister Bikram Majithia, he said the moment the dates of the 2017 state Assembly polls are announced and the Model Code of Conduct comes into force, the Badals will need to "run for cover".
"The people will not let them enter their villages," he said, adding, "That is the reason they are seeking extra security for themselves from the Centre."

Amarinder accused the Badals of "destroying Punjab beyond redemption" and cautioned the people against their "divisive policies". "He (Parkash Singh Badal) is a master in polarising the people," he alleged.
Amarinder also claimed that the alleged desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib at Bebal Kalan, followed by such incidents involving the Quran and the Gita and attacks on Sant Dhadrianwale and an RSS leader at Jalandhar, were all aimed at "creating fear in the mind of and polarising the people".

He alleged that the Badals "had done it earlier and were doing it again".
Later, replying to a question at a press conference regarding AAP's Punjab convenor Gurpreet Ghuggi comparing Arvind Kejriwal with the 10th Sikh Guru and saying the Panj Pyaras were also outsiders, Amarinder said he deserved to be "punished" for this "blasphemy".
He said AAP leaders were behaving in a "senseless" manner and they had "no respect for public sentiments".
Replying to another question on Haryana's objection against using 'Mohali' with the name of the international airport near Chandigarh, Amarinder said it (the airport) should be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh as had already been agreed upon by both the states, adding that the Union Civil Aviation Ministry should clarify on the issue.

Speaking on the occasion, Congress' Punjab in-charge Asha Kumari accused the Akalis of "destroying" the state.
She said only the Congress party under Amarinder's leadership can "redeem" Punjab from the "mess" the Akalis have put it in.