Will not campaign in Punjab on SYL issue, says Hooda

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 23

Former Chief Minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said he would not campaign for the Congress in Punjab as Capt Amarinder Singh had adopted an anti-Haryana stance on the SYL canal issue.

Hooda was in town here today to take part in the Congress protest outside the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Office against demonetization plan of the Modi regime. “Till Amarinder does not ensure that Haryana will get its due share, there is no question of my campaigning for the Congress in Punjab”.

Hooda said that it was Amarinder, who as Chief Minister of Punjab, had violated the agreement on SYL canal and water sharing,” he said. He added that Amarinder had even gone to the extent of stating that he would not allow even a single drop of water being given to Haryana.

Hooda said he had no problem campaigning for Congress but then there must be some solution to providing water to the people of Haryana. “If Amarinder is willing to restore the agreement on water sharing, I will start campaigning for the Congress candidates right away in Punjab Assembly polls,” he said.

Despite, Punjab and Haryana being neighbouring states and the two even having a common capital, Hooda and some other Congress leaders have completely refrained from campaigning for the Congress in poll-bound Punjab. Congress leaders from all other states, including Himachal, have been assigned poll-related duties but Hooda and other senior Congress leaders from Haryana have avoided any kind of campaign in Haryana polls as a matter of principle.