The friendship between the Badals of Punjab and the Chautalas of neighbouring Haryana is legendary, going back many generations. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh has gone campaigning for the Indian National Lok Dal, the party led by the Chautalas, in Sikh dominated districts of Haryana. And in doing so he has often annoyed his coalition partner, the BJP, who opposes the INLD in Haryana. The Chautalas, on their part, have campaigned in Punjab's districts contiguous to Haryana, in many elections over the years. When the INLD patriarch Devi Lal was the chief minister of Haryana, the Badals were allotted land in Haryana's Gurgaon district, to make their Orbit resorts.
But what it comes to the contentious issue of the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal, the friends turn foes, with the Badals protecting Punjab's interest and their political base, and the Chautlas their interest and that of Haryana.
With former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala out on parole, his grandson and INLD leader Abhay Chautala has now given call to his party workers to assemble in Ambala on February 23, to march into Haryana and dig the SYL canal in land that has been returned to the farmers by the Punjab government.
The land was returned once the Punjab Vidhan Sabha unanimously passed resolutions for restoration of the land acquired for the canal, which the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress see as a settled issue—in favour of Punjab, that the SYL canal will not be built.
The Punjab government on Monday sought 20 companies of paramilitary forces from the Centre and deployed forces in Patiala district, where the INLD plans to redig the SYL. The government has also taken up the matter with the Haryana government.
Meanwhile, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said that the digging of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal by some opposition parties was only a gimmick and that their aim was only to get photographed.
"The Akalis in Punjab and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana, being the two sides of the same coin, are playing a fixed match. While the INLD is doing drama, it is already decided that who would use the spade, who would hit with a stick, who would apply red colour and who would take the photograph," said Vij.
“We want INLD to keep digging till Haryana gets water. If INLD succeeds in bringing water through the SYL canal, I myself will go and garland them," the minister quipped.
