Punjab won’t accept verdict against state on river water: Badal

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said Punjab or Punjabis would not accept any verdict against the state's interest on river waters and are ready to make any sacrifice to safeguard their legitimate share on it.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion of 50th year of Punjabi Suba celebrations, he said the successive Congress governments at the Centre have subjected the state and its people to "sheer exploitation by denying the rightful share" of river waters.

He said the inter-state issues including denial of a capital to Punjab, transfer of Punjabi speaking areas and resolving river water issues within the ambit internationally accepted Riperian Principle were hanging on fire for long due to "apathetic" attitude of the Congress governments at the Centre.

The Chief Minister, however, said with the installation of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, the Punjabis have at least seen a light at the end of the tunnel and are eagerly awaiting resolution of these issues on priority basis.

While seeking personal attention of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP National President Amit Shah, Badal said people were now questioning for not getting the territorial issues resolved by the central government, in which Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is also an ally.

He urged both the leaders to deliver prompt justice without any further delay.

Badal accused the Congress leadership of betraying Punjab, saying they are well known for betrayal with Punjab since the times of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, who had promised to create Punjabi Suba on the linguistic lines but they "backtracked".

Paying homage to those who made sacrifices for formation of Punjabi suba, Badal said every Punjabi was indebted to these sons of soil who made this distant dream a reality.

On record, nearly 59,000 people were imprisoned and 43 attained martyrdom during the struggle, he added.

Terming partition as one of the "darkest chapters" of the India's history, he said Punjab, being a border and most prosperous state of the country, faced maximum brunt and wounds were still afresh in the memories of people who had witnessed it.