River water dispute: Cong stages walkout during governor’s address
Kaptan Singh Solanki, who is also the Haryana governor, delivers budget session speech that ‘runs like a SAD-BJP commentary’
CHANDIGARH: Punjab governor Kaptan Singh Solanki on Tuesday said the state’s right to waters of its rivers should be “safeguarded” even as the Congress staged a walkout during his address on the first day of the assembly budget session.
Congress legislators, sporting black bands over their heads, were stopped from entering the Vidhan Sabha when they insisted on carrying black flags inside. Later, the protesters stopped chief minister Parkash Singh Badal at the entry point to the assembly.
During his budget speech that was marred by sloganeering by Congress members, Solanki, who is also the Haryana governor, said “injustice and dis- crimination” was meted out to Punjab over its river waters. He also backed Punjab’s demand for making Chandigarh its exclusive capital
Earlier, Cong ress MLAs walked out of the House raising slogans against the government for its inability to speak against the Centre’s move of filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court favouring early completion of the SYL canal project.
CHANDIGARH: Punjab governor Kaptan Singh Solanki on Tuesday reiterated the state’s right over its river waters during his speech on the opening day of the assembly budget session amid a walkout by the Congress.
Solanki, who is also the Haryana governor, found himself in a peculiar position where he had to deliver a speech sections of which went directly against the interests of Haryana.
What’s more, the governor also put forth Punjab’s demand for making Chandigarh as its exclusive capital (currently it’s the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana), besides the transfer of Punjabi speaking regions to the state.
The 345-para speech--a large part of which the governor skipped reading out in the House -- was full of strong rhetoric and overt political tones reading almost like a SAD-BJP commentary.
Referring to “clear evidence” of direct involvement of the “high and mighty of those days” in the 1984 anti- Sikh carnage, the governor demanded exemplary punishment for the guilty. “Because of the massive political clout enjoyed by the killers, looters, rapists and arsonists in this grave human tragedy, no action has been taken against them so far. In fact, the guilty were allowed not only to go scotfree but also rewarded with high and powerful positions, including cabinet berths in the government and ruling party of that time,” said Solanki.
Terming the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib as “most heinous in nature and grave threat to peace”, the governor said the “body, soul and mind of Punjab and the country were traumatised”.
Hailing the state police’s remarkable response to the two fidayeen attacks, the governor said: “At Dinanagar, the bravery and exemplary leadership of Punjab Police ensured the defeat of the highly motivated, dangerously armed and professionally trained group of killers.”
“During the Pathankot airbase attack, Punjab Police provided credible, reliable and concrete advance intelligence. As a result, it became the first- of-its -kind security operation in the country in which the NSG was able to deploy itself at the suspected target area even before the aggressors reached there,” said the governor.
Solanki patted the Punjab gover nment’s back for winning the Khadoor Sahib bypoll, adding that the victory demonstrated the holy town’s preference for peace, communal harmony and development.
The governor went on to call the Punjab chief minister a “saint statesman”.
During the Pathankot airbase attack, Punjab Police provided credible, reliable and concrete advance intelligence. KAPTAN SINGH SOLANKI, governor