Amid the ongoing face-off between Punjab and Haryana over water sharing, a ‘victory rally’ was held on Wednesday in Punjab’s Nangal led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who said “Punjabis have proved that if the state can protect the borders of the country they can aptly save the waters of state too.”

Addressing the rally, the Chief Minister said, “..for around 20 days, the hard-working and vigilant people of the Punjab didn’t allow Haryana and the Centre to take away even a single drop of water from Punjab. He said for years, Punjab’s water has been diverted to other states through the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), and the Congress, Akali Dal, and BJP have backstabbed the people of Punjab by ignoring the water rights of the State.

Mr. Mann said that the State government will flag the issue of reconstitution of BBMB in the meeting of Niti Aayog slated to be held on Saturday. He said that as the level of water is changing frequently so every water agreement should be reviewed after every 25 years. Punjab is a landlocked border state which has already overexploited its only available natural resources in terms of water and fertile soil to feed the country, he added.

He said BBMB was originally established to manage the waters of the Sutlej and Beas rivers, but over years, Punjab’s water has been diverted to other states through the BBMB, adding “the BJP government has started using this board for its political interests.”

Mr. Mann said that despite being smaller in area, Haryana is getting more water than Punjab and ironically, it is demanding more water at the cost of Punjab. “How can we give water to Haryana if our own fields are starving for it. Nearly 60% of the state’s farmlands are irrigated through canals, which makes every drop of Punjab’s water extremely valuable,” he said.

Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains said dozens of villages in the region had been facing hardship due to decades of negligence and failure by previous governments. “We have developed nearly ₹200 crore worth of plans, ensuring that no water will be wasted. The water that rightfully belongs to Punjab will now irrigate our farmers’ fields and reach our homes,” he said.

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