The Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue dominated the Haryana Assembly proceedings today with main opposition party INLD accusing the Congress and BJP of failing to bring the state's share of river waters.
After the discussion on the Governor's address resumed today, Leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala took potshots at Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for "soft-pedalling" on the SYL canal issue.
He accused the BJP government in Haryana of "creating stumbling blocks" by deploying forces on February 23, when INLD workers were on their way to Punjab from Ambala to dig the canal as part of their 'Jal Yudh Sammelan'.
However, the Congress and the BJP, while countering Chautala's claims, asserted that their governments had played an active role on the SYL issue in order to secure Haryana's share of river waters.
Chautala listed the works done by the Devi Lal government in Haryana towards constructing the canal and accused Punjab of not sharing the waters of Ravi and Beas rivers with the state.
The INLD leader was unsparing in his criticism of the Congress for its "failure to safeguard Haryana's interest", while praising the role of his late grandfather Devi Lal.
Congress Legislature Party leader and former state minister Kiran Chaudhary refuted Chautala's claims and said it was during the days of the Bansi Lal government in Haryana when "95 per cent of the canal's construction work was done".
"But, the truth is that even Bansi Lal had acknowledged that the work was carried out during Devi Lal's time. You can even check the facts from the records of the House," Chautala told Chaudhary as both the sides claimed credit on the issue.
Chautala also said the farmers were facing an acute water shortage, adding that water had not reached the tail-ends of the 225 canals in the state.
Describing the SYL canal as the "lifeline of Haryana", he alleged that the BJP government and the Congress had made fun of their 'Jal Yudh Sammelan'.
Chautala also took a swipe at Khattar for not issuing any statement against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal when the latter had announced that Punjab was not in a position to share water with Haryana.
He criticised the Khattar government for deploying police personnel near the Shambhu barrier on February 23 to stop the INLD workers from marching towards Punjab.
"We were fighting for the state," Chautala said and urged the opposition members to support the INLD workers when they gherao the Parliament on March 15, to press the Centre to construct the SYL canal at the earliest.
Haryana minister Ram Bilas Sharma took a jibe at the INLD
saying that at times, parties lacked "work and issues".
Later, BJP MLA from Ambala Aseem Goel picked holes in Chautala's claims saying that the INLD was resorting to SYL-digging "gimmicks" to remain "relevant" in Haryana's politics.
Taking a dig at the party, Goel alleged that it was the fourth generation of the INLD resorting to "politics" over the SYL issue "to gain political grounds".
He claimed that it was the BJP government which actively pursued the SYL matter in the Supreme Court.
Praising the BJP regime in the state, Goel said the Khattar government brought transparency in every aspect of governance and focused on all-round development of Haryana.
Earlier, Congress MLA Jagbir Malik came down heavily on the Khattar government for its "various acts of omission and commission" and claimed that its slogan of "zero tolerance" to corruption had gone for a toss.
He also raised the plight of the potato farmers in the state, saying they were facing losses on account of low prices of the crop.
BJP leaders, including state ministers Captain Abhimanyu and Om Prakash Dhankar, took strong exception to the "unfounded allegations".
The BJP and Congress members were also involved in a war of words over farmers' plight during their respective regimes.
There was a heated exchange between Khattar and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who alleged that Kalpana Chawla Medical College in Karnal was being renamed after Deendayal Upadhyaya.
Khattar denied the charge saying a new university, named after Upadhyaya, was being built while the medical college in Karnal retained the name of the late astronaut.
Earlier, state minister Anil Vij took a jibe at Congress Legislature Party leader Kiran Chaudhary. Pointing at "infighting" within Haryana Congress, he said none of Chaudhary's party MLAs attended the meeting convened by her.
Meanwhile, acknowledging that there was a shortage of doctors in the state, Vij said the process has been initiated to fill up 662 vacancies of medical officers, for which about 1,900 applications have been received.
