Punjab Congress, Akali Dal oppose constructing Haryana Vidhan Sabha building in Chandigarh

Punjab Congress and Akali Dal have opposed the centre's move to provide land for building Haryana Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh.

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Saturday strongly opposed the union home ministry’s reported move to provide land for construction of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha building in Chandigarh. He also criticised the Punjab government for supporting the move.

Reacting to the development, Warring asserted that Chandigarh exclusively belonged to Punjab and it is its capital. There is no point in providing land for Haryana Vidhan Sabha in Punjab’s capital, he said, while adding, this is in contravention to the Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966, as well as the subsequent Rajiv Longowal Accord that reaffirms Punjab’s exclusive right over Chandigarh.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) asked Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to immediately withdraw his statement asking the union government to allot land to the State for the establishment of its own Vidhan Sabha and high court.

In a statement, former minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said it was shocking that the chief minister was surrendering the rights of Punjab by raising a senseless demand. “Punjab already has its own Vidhan Sabha and high court. There is no need for the chief minister to surrender these institutions. The SAD requests the chief minister to withdraw his tweet urging the union home minister to allot land for these two institutions ."

The PCC president expressed shock over the response of the Punjab government to this development.

Referring to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s statement, urging government of India to provide land to Punjab also for building VIdhan Sabha in Chandigarh, PCC president asked, "why does Punjab, at first place, need to construct another Vidhan Sabha building when there is an iconic building already existing and which belongs to Punjab."

Moreover, he pointed out, Haryana has already accepted that it has no right over the existing Vidhan Sabha building in the Capital Complex. Surprisingly, he remarked, the Punjab government, with its demand for land to construct a new Vidhan Sabha building, has knowingly or unknowingly tried to forfeit its right over the existing building.