Mann surrendered Punjab's right over Chandigarh: Badal

CHANDIGARH: SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday stepped up attack on Punjab Chief Minister for his statement seeking land for Vidhan Sabha, saying Bhagwant Mann has surrendered Punjab's right over Chandigarh by making such a demand.

Notably, after Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday had announced land for setting up an additional building for Haryana Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh, Mann, in a tweet, had also demanded a similar allotment to his state, which drew sharp reaction from the political leaders of Punjab.

Even, Punjab health minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra has said, ''if Haryana wants to build its own assembly it may do so in Panchkula, Faridabad or Kurukshetra but not in Chandigarh''. Badal said his party will not allow the Centre to allot land to Haryana for setting up an additional building of Haryana Assembly here.

Mann had also said Punjab and Haryana high court be separated and the Centre should also provide land for the same in Chandigarh.

Addressing the media here, Shiromani Akali Dal president Badal trained his guns on Mann for his statement and said, "by making such a statement, the Punjab CM surrendered the right of Punjab over Chandigarh. It is a betrayal with Punjabis." Why he is asking land for Vidhan Sabha, when ''we have the assembly here in Chandigarh," Badal asked, stressing Punjab has inalienable right over its capital, Chandigarh.

The SAD president said he initially thought that Mann had commented inadvertently. But it seems that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal got Mann making this statement under a ''conspiracy," said Badal while calling Mann a "rubber stamp." Badal asked Mann to withdraw his statement.

Reacting to the Union Home Minister's statement, Badal said Chandigarh is part of Punjab and will remain so. "Under no circumstance, the SAD will allow allotment of land to Haryana for Vidhan Sabha or high court in Chandigarh," said Badal.

At present, the Punjab and Haryana governments share the Vidhan Sabha complex which is next to the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat in Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Haryana came into existence on November 1, 1966 and Chandigarh is the common capital of both states. The two states also have common buildings for the secretariat, Vidhan Sabha and the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Meanwhile, the SAD chief Badal has convened an emergent meeting of his party's highest decision making body on July 12 to deliberate Mann's statement and plan the party's further course of action to ''safeguard the interests of the state''.