Don’t use SYL as ladder to power, CM tells Opposition

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 8

The INLD today staged two walkouts during the reply to the debate on the Governor’s Address by Manohar Lal Khattar even as the Chief Minister favoured an all-party meeting on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue and asked the Opposition not to politicise it.

“The Opposition should refrain from using the  SYL issue as a ladder to climb to power as the public is well aware of its political gimmicks. For the Opposition, the SYL only means “Satta Yun hi Lunga,” Khattar said.

Amid interruptions by INLD and Congress members, Khattar reiterated the resolve of the state government to get every single drop of its share in the river waters through the SYL. He offered to convene an all-party meeting to draw a line of action on this issue.

Leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala had, in Delhi yesterday, threatened to launch a ‘jail bharo andolan’ on May 1 if the government failed to start the canal’s construction.

Meanwhile, Khattar said the three-and-a-half-year-old BJP government had ensured equitable development, brought transparency in recruitment and curbed corruption.

“A strong message has gone out that now jobs are given only on merit. This government represents 2.5 crore people of Haryana. We believe in ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’,” he said.

Khattar said that his government had ensured equitable development. “Earlier, there was a perception that more development works remained concentrated in regions from where Chief Ministers came,” he said.

Khattar claimed that of the 4,500 CM’s announcements, work on 3,200 had either been completed or was nearing completion. Abhay demanded that complete record pertaining to these announcements be placed before the House.

When Khattar tried to put the blame of non-payment of electricity bills by people  on Abhay’s statement, the INLD members staged a walkout.

The INLD staged the second walkout as it said it was not satisified with Khattar’s reply on the law and order situation, which it alleged was going from bad to worse.