Punjab CM Mann should come out with logic behind his demand for separate Assembly that is legacy rooted issue
AAP should
explain logic behind demand for separate Punjab Assembly in Chandigarh
Ground Zero
Jagtar Singh
Punjab Assembly. High Court of Punjab.
Punjab Civil Secretariat.
These were the names of the three building
complexes comprising the Capitol Complex in the Punjab’s capital Chandigarh
till November 1, 1966.
Haryana came to be added to these
three names on November 1, 1966.
Both Punjab Civil Secretariat and
Punjab Assembly complexes were divided to accommodate Haryana as the ownership
of these buildings was transferred to newly created Union Territory of
Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab till then.
The high court continues to be the
common link between Punjab and Haryana as the High Court of Punjab and Haryana.
Chandigarh was founded as the capital
of Punjab after partition in 1947 as this was the only region that had suffered
the loss of its capital during partition of India in 1947 as Lahore went to newly
created Pakistan. In this context, the original ownership of the Capitol
Complex is with Punjab as Haryana was supposed to move out to a new capital as
has been the practice since the reorganisation of states after 1947.
Haryana has thus rightly demanded a
separate Assembly and a separate high court.
Punjab as such is not supposed to reciprocate
Haryana make similar demands.
No chief minister, not just in Punjab
or Haryana but in the entire country, can be considered by be politically naïve.
However, Punjab Chief Minister
Bhagwant Mann yesterday reacted to the demand from Haryana for allocation of
land in Chandigarh for its separate Assembly complex. This issue was raised by
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at a meeting of at North Zonal Council. Union Home Minister
Amit Shah, who chaired, responded positively. Reaction from Mann, who had
deputed his minister to represent Punjab, followed by echoing the same demand.
There must be the reason for it.
Earlier, he had demanded separate
Punjab high court and this was revealed by his Haryana counterpart as reported
by The Hindu in a news datelined April 30: “Haryana
Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Saturday said Haryana and Punjab have demanded
the setting up of separate High Courts for both them and regarding this, both
would duly send their proposals to the Union Home Ministry. In New Delhi,
interacting with the journalists after attending the joint conference of Chief
Ministers and the Chief Justices of High Courts, organised by the Ministry of
Law and Justice, Mr. Lal stated that the demand for setting up a separate High
Court for Haryana was made in the joint conference. “Punjab Chief Minister
Bhagwant Mann also demanded the setting up of a separate High Court for
Punjab.”- The Hindu”.
The status of Chandigarh
is one of those highly sensitive but dormant issue associated with Punjab
political domain that, if stirred, has the potential to explode in the face.
The transfer of
Chandigarh to Punjab and end to
exploitation of river water resources of the state have been two of the most
sensitive issues over the decades in this volatile border state on which the
Shiromani Akali Dal launched the last agitation on August 4, 1982 known as the “Dharamyudh
Morcha” that finally provided political space to radical politics symbolised by
Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. The controversial Satluj Yamuna Canal is part
of this river waters narrative whose construction was stopped following gunning
down of its senior most engineers by Balwinder Singh Jatana and his associates
from Babbar Khalsa in 1990. Sidhu Moosewala’s posthumous song ‘SYL’ banned by
the centre resurrected Jatana.
The issue here is that
of political perception of AAP so far as the sensitive legacy matters relating
to Punjab are concerned.
No chief minister or for
that matter any political party in this state can afford to abandon claim over
Chandigarh or river waters. No party in this state can oppose the demand for
political autonomy.
No AAP leader has so far
further elaborated upon the demand for land in Chandigarh for new Punjab Assembly
complex. The Punjab Assembly complex is already there!
Chief Minister Bhagwant
Mann should have rather welcomed the demand made by his Haryana counterpart
with the suggestion that the new state Assembly complex should be constructed
by the neighbouring state at a place easily accessible to the people, or in
adjoining Panchkula.
Punjab should have
opposed allocation of land to Haryana in Chandigarh for this purpose.
Punjab should have also
welcomed Haryana demanding its independent high court rather than making
similar demand.
AAP narrative counters
the legacy narrative associated with Punjab and this domain is highly
sensitive. Sangrur result in Lok Sabha by-election is a lesson for AAP.
AAP should now come with
rationale for Mann making such demands that are perceived as anti-Punjab.
Punjab’s religio-political
domain is not only different from all other states and regions in India but
also too sensitive to be played with.
Arvind Kejriwal as the
AAP chief should make his party stand clear on these issues.
People of Punjab had
brought AAP with unprecedented mandate by rejecting the Congress and dumping
the Shiromani Akali Dal.
These people have the
right to understand the thinking of AAP behind these demands that change the
entire legacy narrative.
By the way, Punjab
Assembly complex has a roof-top open air theatre too.
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