Shiromani Akali Dal Asks President To Ignore SC's Advice As It Did Not Answer His Queries
CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal today declared that not a drop of Punjab's river waters would be allowed to flow out of the state. "Punjab neither has a drop a water to spare for any other state, nor is there any legal or constitutional provision by which it can be deprived of its right over the waters of rivers that flow through it, nor will even a single drop of water belonging to Punjab be allowed to be taken out of the state." The Core Committee asked the President of India to ignore the advice of the Supreme Court as it did not answer any of the issues raised by him. The Core Committee also declared its firm resolve not to allow the construction of the SYL as that will deprive Punjab of its legitimate claim on the waters of the rivers that flow through it .' 'We stand by the Constitution of India and the Constitution guarantees us absolute and exclusive right over the waters of rivers that flow through it. If Punjab cannot get water from Ravi and Beas, will it get it from Brahampurtra and Tung Bhadra?" felt the Core Committee members. A resolution passed at the Core Committee meeting today said," The SYL is neither necessary, nor feasible, nor is there a single drop of spare water available to flow through it, nor will it be allowed to be built . Punjab itself faces the horrific prospect of turning into a desert because of acute water scarcity and shocking pace at which the sub soil water level is falling. Besides, no state through which a river does not flow can be given water forcibly," said the Resolution. Giving details of the Core Committee meeting proceedings, party's General Secretary and Chief Spokesperson Harcharan Bains said that the party is deeply "concerned and surprised over the" advice of the Honourable Supreme Court to the President " which completely overlooks the purpose for which the honourable President had sought the apex court's opinion The Advice, says the Core Committee, does not answer of the four issues addressed to it by the President of India. The first of these issues was whether the Termination of Agreements Act 2004 was illegal and unconstitutional. The Apex court did not answer that. The Court was required to give details of provisions to support its opinion. It did not offer any. Mr. Bains said that the opinion finally given by the apex court had further deepened the belief that Punjab cannot get justice from the top constitutional institutions in the country. The Core Committee found the Supreme Courts’s observation that Punjab should first have sought the setting up of a Tribunal as "most intriguing" because a plea from Punjab requesting precisely the setting up of such a Tribunal is already lying before the SC. Instead of asking Punjab to make such a demand, the Court should have decided that petition, said Mr. Bains. The Court should also have set up the tribunal with clear terms of reference, the first of which should be the position of the riparian principle. Can Haryana be included in such a Tribunal as it is not a riparian state? The Core Committee passed a resolution in which it held Mrs. Gandhi, Darbara Singh, Giani Zail apart from Captain Amarinder Singh squarely responsible for the loot of the state. "Of these, Captain Amarinder Singh has been the principal villain as it was he who invited Mrs. Gandhi to Kapuri to start the digging for the SYL canal, "said the Core Committee Resolution.
