As the political temperatures rise in the wake of forthcoming assembly elections in Punjab, the political parties in Punjab are once againtrying to rake up emotive issues and brushing aside the core issues of employment generation, industrial revival, education, health and agricultural reforms.
Political parties in Punjab are now focusing on issues like Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal and justice to the 1984 Sikh riot victims. Both these issues are highly emotive and are currently sub-judice.
As far as SYL is concerned not a drop of water has flowed in it till date and there has been no construction work on it since 1990. In 2004, Punjab Assembly passed the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act 2004 to denotify the land for the canal. This year Punjab Assembly sought to pass a Bill to effect restoration of land acquired for the canal link to the farmers, free of cost.
However, the issue of SYL gives ammunition for grandstanding to political parties. Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal recently said that neither Punjab nor Punjabis would accept any verdict against the state’s interests on river waters. The grandstanding was continued by Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh who accused Badal of shedding crocodile tears for Punjab. He said it was under the Akali government that construction on SYL had started.
Similarly, the issue of 1984 anti-Sikh riots has resurfaced in the political discourse as the elections approach. A one-day hunger strike was observed by the AAP leadership in Mohali, demanding action against the culprits of the 1984 riots. The Akalis have accused the Congress leaders, including Amarinder Singh, of giving clean chit to tJagdish Tytler. The Congress has accused both Akalis and AAP of trying to get ‘cheap political mileage’ from the issue.
Director of Institute or Development and Communication Pramod Kumar said, “The old issues were never resolved. So these issues come to the fore.”
