Nangal, May 12, 2025 : In opposition to the decision to provide additional water from Punjab to Haryana, senior leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAPIn opposition to the decision to provide additional water from Punjab to Haryana, senior leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) visited the protest at Nangal Dam. Advocate Dinesh Kumar Chadha, MLA from Rupnagar, legislators Gurmail Singh Ghona, Neena Mittal from Rajpura, Kuldeep Singh Randhawa from Derabassi, Chairman Harminder Singh Dhaa, Chairman District Planning Committee, District President of AAP Rupnagar, and other leaders engaged in discussions with the local residents who were part of the protest. They delivered strong speeches against the illegal orders by the central and Haryana governments that are infringing on Punjab’s rights and interests.
It is noteworthy that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann and Cabinet Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains have been continuously monitoring the security arrangements at Nangal Dam regarding the protection of water resources. Under the leadership of Dr. Sanjeev Gautam, Chairman of Guru Ravidas Ayurvedic University, the protest has been ongoing day and night for several days. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has also visited multiple times to assess the situation.
While addressing a massive and influential gathering at Nangal Dam today, Advocate Dinesh Kumar Chadha, MLA from Rupnagar, stated that due to the incompetence and failure of previous governments and their leaders, Punjabis are now forced to fight for their rights and interests. These leaders have continuously sold Punjab’s rights to other states and the central government for their personal gain. The entire state of Punjab is now paying the price, but now Punjab’s fate is in safe hands, and the monitoring of water resources is being personally supervised by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. There is no need to worry now.
Legislator Gurmail Singh Ghona stated that the suffering Punjab has faced for decades began with the issue of water. The situation in Punjab today has worsened, and we don’t even have a single drop of water left. Our farmers have drained underground water to contribute to the nation’s food supply, but now the central and Haryana governments are attempting to seize Punjab’s water, which will not be tolerated.
Legislator Neena Mittal from Rajpura mentioned that Punjabis have always taken steps forward to sacrifice for the country’s independence struggle. Today, as our country is facing war-like conditions, the people of Punjab are fighting to protect their water. It is even more unfortunate that, due to Punjab’s border status, while the enemy country is attacking, our own rulers are treating Punjab unjustly.
Legislator Kuldeep Singh Randhawa from Derabassi highlighted that Punjab’s farmers have not used irrigation water for farming because the previous governments failed to plan for irrigation using canal water. He mentioned that while farmers have given land for dams, rivers, and canals, they have not been provided water for their fields.
Chairman Harminder Singh Dhaa stated that Punjab’s farmers have depleted their water resources by using their land to supply water to the country, while other states have benefited economically by adopting crop diversity. Prabhjot Kaur, District President of Mohali and Chairman of the Planning Board, mentioned that Punjab no longer has excess water to give to other states. Haryana has already used its share of water, and as an act of humanity, our Chief Minister is providing 400 cusecs of water from Punjab’s share to Haryana.
Jassi Soheewala, Chairman of the District Planning Board in Patiala, emphasized that the AAP government is working to bring prosperity and progress to Punjab by encouraging the establishment of small and large industries. However, the central government is dragging Punjab into a battle with other states, which is negatively impacting industrial growth.
Baldev Singh Devigarh, Chairman of the Market Committee, Tajinder Singh Mahita, District President of Patiala, Ram Kumar Mukari, General Secretary, and Jarnail Singh Mannu, Chairman of the Market Committee in Ghanoor, said that the protection of Punjab’s water will continue, and AAP workers from various constituencies are actively participating in the protest to safeguard the state’s rights under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
Dr. Sanjeev Gautam, Chairman of Guru Ravidas Ayurvedic University, emphasized that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains have already stated that the dam is built on Punjab’s land, and the BBMB (Bhakra Beas Management Board) has illegally occupied hundreds of acres of land. He added that 60% of the salary paid to BBMB comes from the Punjab government, yet BBMB continues to fight against Punjab. He further stated that just as states charge for the products extracted from their lands, Punjab will no longer provide extra water to other states but will instead utilize its dams, rivers, and canals to bring prosperity to its own barren lands.
On this occasion, workers from various constituencies across the state of Punjab participated in the protest, pledging that the vigilance over the water resources will continue. Gurdev Singh Tiwana, Block President Samana, Satish Chopra, Karan Saini, Sumit Talwara, Advocate Nishat Gupta, and many other AAP workers were present in large numbers.
Summary: Advocate Dinesh Chadha attributes Punjab’s ongoing water scarcity to previous administrations’ mismanagement, emphasizing the urgent need for sustainable policies to address the crisis.