Chandigarh: On the concluding day of what Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan described as “technically its last session” under the AAP-led govt, the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed eight resolutions, including five related to the state’s river-water rights, control of key irrigation headworks, the Dam Safety Act, 2021, and recovery of water charges from Rajasthan.The other three resolutions included one in which the Assembly urged the Centre to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor and ensure uninterrupted and unrestricted movement through it. The Assembly also passed a resolution lauding a series of govt initiatives for public welfare and recommending the continuation of schemes such as the Maawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana, free electricity, free bus travel for women and the pilgrimage scheme.In another resolution, the Assembly authorised the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker to nominate two MLAs to the Senate of Panjab University, Chandigarh, in proportion to the strength of various parties in the House.The resolutions were moved and passed in the House in the absence of Congress and BJP legislators. Congress legislators did not attend the session throughout the day amid allegations and counter-allegations, with the party claiming its MLAs were denied entry into the House on the basis of “an unsigned letter barring their entry”, while the ruling AAP accused Congress of boycotting the session. High drama unfolded outside the House as Congress legislators led by Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and AAP legislators jostled to address the media from a common podium.Rebel Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, who is now associated with jailed MP Amritpal Singh-led Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Nachhattar Pal supported all the resolutions. Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, who was elected on a SAD ticket and is now with AAP, was also present in the Assembly when the resolutions were moved. The only SAD MLA who remains with the party, Ganieve Kaur Majithia, was not present in the House.Speaking on the resolutions, chief minister Bhagwant Mann lauded the govt for increasing canal-water irrigation from “21-22% when AAP took over in 2022” to “80% today”. Mann said pipelines covering a distance of 14,000 km, which he claimed was equivalent to the distance between Delhi and Vancouver, were laid across the state to increase irrigation through canal water. The CM also cited govt initiatives on lift irrigation and the revival of old and defunct water channels and canals. As a result, he said, “dark zones were turning into safe zones and the water level had gone up by one to five metres”.Mann said 60.80 lakh acres of land had started receiving canal water for irrigation in the state, contrasting it with the earlier heavy reliance on groundwater. He said 14 lakh tubewells across Punjab drew water equivalent to the capacity of Gobind Sagar Lake during the 90-day paddy season, resulting in depletion of the water table.Emphasising that water is a state subject while supporting the resolution asserting Punjab’s rights over its river waters, Mann declared that not a single drop of Punjab’s rightful share would be surrendered, as the state did not have any surplus water to share.Vowing to fight “from courts to streets”, he questioned Rajasthan’s continued access to Punjab’s water without payment, pegged the state’s outstanding royalty claim at ₹1.43 lakh crore, and asserted that Rajasthan and Haryana had no share in the waters of the Ravi and Beas.Questioning Haryana’s claim over Ravi-Beas waters, the chief minister said, “It is unfair that Haryana stakes its claim over Ravi-Beas waters while Punjab’s rightful share in Yamuna waters is ignored, despite the Yamuna being part of undivided Punjab.”Mann said Punjab’s interests had suffered for decades, pointing out that the state received royalty on its river waters until 1960, after which the payments stopped completely. “Punjab has a legitimate claim to ₹1.44 lakh crore in royalties for its river waters. Rajasthan continues to receive water from Punjab free of cost and uses it for economic benefit,” he said.Speaking on the resolution seeking the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor, Mann asked, “Why can’t the Kartarpur Corridor be reopened?” He added, “We have approached the Centre in this regard several times. We have no dispute. The fighting takes place in Jammu and Kashmir, but we find ourselves at the receiving end as our villages are evacuated in districts such as Fazilka and Gurdaspur.”Seeking the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor, Mann said, “Earlier, the Samjhauta Express and bus services used to ply between the two nations. They keep creating one obstacle or the other. In the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy, the Pakistani team was to participate. Pakistan said, ‘You don’t play cricket with us, so we will not play hockey with you.’ Politics has entered sports as well.”The resolution on the Kartarpur Corridor demanded that the Union govt take immediate steps to reopen and keep the corridor operational, simplify visit procedures, and engage with the Pakistan govt to ensure safe, hassle-free and uninterrupted movement of devotees to Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.Speaking on the resolution lauding govt welfare schemes, Mann slammed the Congress for questioning them. “I have done my best. We will take our agenda before the people. We will contest an election of positivity. We will not indulge in politics of fault-finding or negativity. We will take the work carried out by us to the people in a positive way. Every party should go to the people with its own agenda, vision and roadmap. People will vote for the one whose agenda and roadmap they like,” Mann said.In his address to the Assembly, Mann, while referring to the resolution seeking royalty from Rajasthan for Punjab’s water and asserting that it would be passed, took a dig at the Congress for not being present in the House. “Paanian de kaatal taan chale gaye. Oh taan sharam naal hi paani paani hoye paye ne. Paanian de rakhwale hi reh gaye (The killers of water have left. They are drenched in shame. Only the protectors of water remain in the House),” Mann said, while pointing towards the empty Congress benches before gesturing towards the treasury benches.Pointing to the empty Congress benches, Mann predicted, “Today is the last day of this Vidhan Sabha. A similar-looking Vidhan Sabha will be there in 2027. The first day of the next Vidhan Sabha will be like this only.” Pointing towards the treasury benches, he added, “The number of seats on this side will increase.”Continuing his jibe at the Congress, Mann said, “The reason is that they don’t have any issue. They come daily and leave after boycotts and walkouts. Their national leader is raising the issue of ‘vote chori’, and on the day there was a debate on ‘vote chori’ here, they were not present.”Speaking to reporters after his address in the Assembly, Mann said, “Today was the last day of Congress in the Assembly. Perhaps they will not return in the next Assembly. Today also they boycotted the session, and people will boycott them. So today proved to be the last day of Congress in the Assembly. It is like an earthen lamp flickering before being extinguished.”Meanwhile, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, while pointing out that “today’s session was technically the last, although the govt can call another session”, lauded the Vidhan Sabha for its “remarkable work” and described the passage of the anti-sacrilege law as the biggest achievement of the House during its tenure.Sandhwan said he was thankful to both the ruling AAP and opposition MLAs for their cooperation. Despite disagreements and heated exchanges at times, he said, the positive aspect was that dialogue continued. “At times, I may have had to take strict decisions due to the circumstances that evolved. If I have hurt anyone knowingly or unknowingly through my speech, views or decisions, I apologise for that. The real glory is that despite differences of opinion, there is respect for democracy. The objective is to serve the people,” he said.
