INLD WILL DIG CANAL, CALL ARMY IF YOU WANT TO: ABHAY

CHANDIGARH: Upping the ante on its proposed move to start digging the SutlejYamuna Link (SYL) canal on the Punjab-Haryana border on February 23, Haryana’s main opposition party Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) on Monday said it will go ahead with its threat even if the authorities call the army to stop them.

“The INLD will start digging the SYL canal even if the government calls the army. The party will not change its decision at any cost. The SYL canal is the lifeline of Haryana and we will fight to get water for the state,” INLD secretary general and leader of opposition in Haryana Abhay Chautala said in a statement here.

Chautala said over 6,800 panchayats had submitted memorandums to the INLD seeking construction of the canal. “We will submit these to the Prime Minister and demand immediate construction of the canal. Getting water through the SYL is Haryana’s right and we are not begging for it from anyone,” he said.

INLD THREAT A GIMMICK: ANIL VIJ

Haryana health minister Anil Vij, meanwhile, termed the INLD’s threat to dig the SYL canal a “gimmick”, and said its aim was just to “get photographed”.

“The Akalis in Punjab and the INLD in Haryana are the two sides of the same coin and they are playing a fixed match,” he said.

Taking a dig at the opposition party, the BJP minister said: “We want INLD to keep digging till Haryana gets water. If the INLD succeeds in bringing water through the SYL canal, I will myself garland them.”