Kejriwal should clear his stand on SYL issue: Badal

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today attacked Aam Aadmi Party leadership for adopting "double standards" on the Sutlej Yamuna (SYL) canal issue and asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to clear his stand.
"Kejriwal owes an answer to people of Punjab as what was the stand of his party on this emotive issue concerning every Punjabi," he told the gathering at a Sangat Darshan programme in Lambi assembly segment.
He said it was the most important issue concerning the people of state and AAP should tell whether they want this canal to be constructed or not.
He also claimed that Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh was misleading the people by "shedding crocodile tears" over this issue but had welcomed the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for performing the ground breaking ceremony of this canal.

He said the SAD had opposed the construction of this canal since its inception. "We are ready to make any sacrifice but construction of SYL will not be allowed to take place at any cost."
He also said his government was committed to ensure smooth, hassle free procurement of the crops.

In his letter to the Union Home Minister, the Punjab Chief
Minister has referred to the "criticism" of the decision of the armed forces not to reveal evidence on surgical strikes.
"The Congress and the AAP have also criticised the decision on relocation of civilian population on the border as a pre-emptive evacuation," Badal wrote.

"This is an unpardonable sin as the Congress and the AAP leaders are treating our soldiers' sacred zeal and heroic deeds to mere fodder for their petty politicking," said Badal, terming Singh and Kejriwal's statements on sensitive issues and border security as "duplicitous and deliberately mischievous".
Badal said it was absurd and ironical that only three voices in the entire world have treated the border evacuation and the surgical strikes with suspicion. "One of these three voices belonged understandably to Pakistan and the other two belong to Kejriwal and Amarinder," he said.
The Chief Minister accused AAP and Congress leaders of trying to create confusion in the people's minds about temporary civilian relocation in border areas as well as on the crucial decision of the armed forces about the release of evidence on strikes across the LoC in and Jammu and Kashmir. "No country can ever allow such suicidal statements," said Badal.

Singh, the Punjab unit chief of Congress, had yesterday asked Badal to explain why the residents of the border areas could not stay back in their homes when schools were being reopened there.
"You are clearly losing it," the Amritsar MP had said, asking Badal, "What is the point in opening the schools when you are forcing people to evacuate?"
He had alleged that the state government's decision to open the schools in the border areas vindicated Congress' stand that the Akali-BJP government was "just whipping up war hysteria in the border areas for its political ends".
Punjab shares a 553-km border with Pakistan and there are six districts in the state which lie close to the International Border (IB).

People in nearly 1,000 villages which fall within 10 km radius of IB were asked to be evacuated following the advisory of central government in view of apprehension of retaliation from Pakistani side after Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) on September 29.
A number of villagers in some districts had refused to leave their homes on the grounds that they need to tend to their crops and cattle and also look after their properties.