Amid a stand-off with Haryana over the distribution of water from the Bhakra dam, the Punjab assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution, stating that not even a single drop of water will be given from its share to the neighbouring state.
As all the political parties put up a united face in the House to protect Punjab's river water, the resolution said the Bhakra Beas Management Board has become "a mere puppet" in the hands of the BJP-led Centre, and therefore it should be reorganised to protect Punjab's rights.
The House also termed the Dam Safety Act of 2021 an "attack" on the rights of Punjab, demanding that the Centre repeal it.
The Punjab government moved the resolution during a special session of Vidhan Sabha convened in the wake of the water-sharing row with Haryana.
Representatives from the opposition parties supported the resolution, with the leader of the opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa, asserting that Punjab doesn't have even a single drop of water to spare.
When Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan was conducting voting, BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma flagged the mentioning of his party's name in the resolution, triggering sharp reactions from the treasury benches.
Participating in the debate on the resolution, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asserted that Punjab will not allow the release of even a single drop of water to Haryana, saying his state does not have surplus water to spare.
This issue has been thrust upon Punjab at a time when the state requires water for the upcoming paddy sowing season,
he said.
Stating that Punjab continues to give 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana for drinking purposes on humanitarian grounds, Mann said,
Today, Punjab is calling its sons and daughters to stand with it to save water. I assure that there will be no compromise on this issue.
"Not even a single drop of Punjab's water will be allowed to be released. Even if a battle needs to be fought in the Supreme Court, we will fight it out.
Earlier, Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal moved the resolution, after which it was taken up for discussion.
Reading out the resolution, Goyal accused the BJP of trying to take away the rights of Punjab through its governments in Haryana, at the Centre, and through the BBMB.
"By calling a BBMB meeting unconstitutionally and illegally, an attempt is being made to forcefully provide Punjab's rightful water to Haryana. Haryana used its share of water by March 31. Now the BJP wants to give water from Punjab's share to Haryana, the resolution said.
In the last three years, the Punjab government has tried to bring canal water to every farm in Punjab, it said.
A network of canals and water courses has been built on a very large scale. Until 2021, only 22 per cent of Punjab's fields received canal water. But today, around 60 percent of the fields are getting canal water.
"This is why every single drop of Punjab's water has become very precious for the state. Punjab no longer has any spare water to give to any other state, the resolution said.
After Haryana on April 6 requested Punjab that it needed water for drinking purposes, Punjab showed a big heart and gave 4,000 cusecs of water to the state because our gurus' have taught us that giving water to a thirsty person is a great virtue, it said.
Goyal said that the population of Haryana was three crore, and it needed only 1,700 cusecs of water to meet its water requirements, including drinking water and for other human needs.
"Now, Haryana is saying all of a sudden that it needs 8,500 cusecs of water. Punjab does not have extra water to meet its demand. So, the BJP forcibly called a meeting of BBMB unconstitutionally and illegally, and passed a resolution that Punjab will have to give water to Haryana from its share, Goyal told the assembly.
"This is not acceptable to us," he added.
So, this House resolves unanimously that the government of Punjab will not give even a single drop of water from its share to Haryana, the resolution said.
It also said that 4,000 cusecs of water that is being given to Haryana for drinking purposes will continue as a humanitarian gesture, but not even a drop more will be given.
This House strongly condemns the 'illegal and unconstitutional' convening of the BBMB meeting by the ruling BJP, the resolution said.
The BBMB has become a mere puppet in the hands of the BJP at the Centre. At its meetings, Punjab's voice is neither heard nor its rights are taken care of. So, the BBMB should be reorganised so that the rights of Punjab can be protected, the resolution said.
It also sought a new agreement on the sharing of river water.
"Sutlej, Ravi and Beas rivers only pass through Punjab. So, on what basis is their water being given to other states?"
When the agreement to share the water of these rivers was signed between the states in 1981, the amount written in the agreement and the amount that was distributed among the states were much more than the actual water available in these rivers. So a new agreement should be made for sharing the water of these rivers, the resolution said.
It also said that to convene any meeting of the BBMB, the law provides that a notice be served for each meeting.
"The BBMB does not follow this law, and convenes meetings illegally at night. This House directs the BBMB to follow the law laid down in this regard," the resolution said.
Which state will get how much water is written clearly in the 1981 treaty. The BBMB has no power to change it. If the BBMB gives water from one state to another state by simply convening a meeting, such decisions will be deemed illegal and unconstitutional. The BBMB should refrain from taking such illegal decisions, it added. The resolution also termed the Dam Safety Act of 2021 an attack on Punjab's rights.
This law fully empowers the Central government to directly control the rivers and dams of the states, even if a dam is entirely within a state's borders. This is against India's federal structure and directly undermines the sovereign rights of states like Punjab over their water.
Therefore, this House demands from the Central government that the Dam Safety Act of 2021 be repealed immediately. The government of Punjab rejects the Act, it said.
The row over water sharing erupted after AAP-ruled Punjab refused to release more water to BJP-ruled Haryana, claiming the latter has "already used 103 per cent of its allocated share of water by March".
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