WILL QUIT ALONG WITH CONG MLAs IF SC VERDICT IN SYL CASE IS AGAINST PUNJAB: CAPT

Monday, 25/07/2016

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WATER WAR Says party will find legislative and constitutional ways to safeguard state’s interests, clarifies stand totally of state unit and high command has no role in it

KARTARPUR (JALANDHAR): Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh has said that all Congress MLAs in Punjab and he (as Lok Sabha member) will resign if the Supreme Court (SC) verdict on Satluj-Yamuna-Link (SYL) expected next month is against the state.

Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh during a ‘Halke Vich Captain’ programme in Jalandhar on Sunday.

“As one of the judges of the bench hearing this case is going to retire by August-end, as per my information, the judgment in the case has already been written and it is against Punjab. It’s likely to be pronounced by mid-August,” Amarinder said at a press conference after attending his ‘Halke Vich Captain’ programme here on Sunday.

Amarinder said state Congress respected the Supreme Court, but the party was duty-bound to safeguard interests of Punjab. “We will find legislative and constitutional ways to safeguard our interests in water-sharing,” he said.

The PCC chief said after submitting the resignations, the Congress party will go to the people and seek their support and vote. “And once the Congress forms the government in 2017, we will take legal and constitutional measures to safeguard our waters like we did in 2004 by passing the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act,” he said.

“Since I am leading the state Congress, I am duty-bound to resign as an MP.”

Jalandhar MP Santokh Chaudhary, who also accompanied Captain at the press conference, initially hesitated in echoing Captain’s move to resign as an MP, but later said he will follow his leader. ‘PURELY PUNJAB CONGRESS DECISION’

The PCC chief said the decision to tender resignations was purely of the state unit and high command has nothing to do it.

“Since the high command has to watch interests of Haryana, Rajasthan and other states invovled in the case, SYL issue will be dealt purely by the Punjab Congress,” said Amarinder. ‘BADAL WANTS TURMOIL OVER SYL’

Attacking chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for not pleading Punjab’s case sincerely in the SC and before the Centre, Amarinder said either Badal’s intentions were not honest or he was not clear what to do on the issue.

“Badal wasted time in getting the governor’s assent to the unanimous resolution of the Vidhan Sabha on SYL, thus giving time to Haryana to move the SC,” he said.

He said Badal was “planning to kill people” on the pretext of Punjab’s opposition to the SYL. “He has already created an atmosphere in this regard by announcing to form morchas and he is planning to exhort people to violence,” said Captain.

“I know Badal very well he won’t think for a minute to push Punjab into turmoil to safeguard his own interests,” he said. NOT CONVINCED WITH JAKHAR STATEMENT

The PCC chief also took a dig at party leader Sunil Jakhar for announcing a fast-unto-death on SYL issue a few days back.

“Staging fasts and holding morchas is an Akali way of opposition. I don’t know why he announced this. I will talk to him,” he said.