Caution should be exercised on the SYL canal issue: Amarinder

Ludhiana, Sept 16 (PTI) Punjab Congress leader AmarinderSingh today said caution should be exercised while dealingwith the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue, citing theviolence in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the Cauvery dispute. He said Supreme Court judges must take into considerationthe "ground reality" before pronouncing a verdict on the issueas "a lot had changed on the ground". At the same time, he said come what may, he will not allow"an extra drop" of water to flow out of Punjab as it couldrender at least 10 lakh acres of land in the Malwa region"barren". Addressing a conference around 45 kms from here, Amarinderblamed Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for the "SYLmess", alleging that the latter’s role dated back to 1978 whenhe was the chief minister and wanted to please his "friend"and then Haryana Chief Minister Devi Lal. Lashing out at the Badals and state minister BikramMajithia, he said the moment the dates of the 2017 stateAssembly polls are announced and the Model Code of Conductcomes into force, the Badals will need to "run for cover". "The people will not let them enter their villages," hesaid, adding, "That is the reason they are seeking extrasecurity for themselves from the Centre." Amarinder accused the Badals of "destroying Punjab beyondredemption" and cautioned the people against their "divisivepolicies". "He (Parkash Singh Badal) is a master in polarisingthe people," he alleged. Amarinder also claimed that the alleged desecration of theGuru Granth Sahib at Bebal Kalan, followed by such incidentsinvolving the Quran and the Gita and attacks on SantDhadrianwale and an RSS leader at Jalandhar, were all aimed at"creating fear in the mind of and polarising the people". He alleged that the Badals "had done it earlier and weredoing it again". Later, replying to a question at a press conferenceregarding AAP’s Punjab convenor Gurpreet Ghuggi comparingArvind Kejriwal with the 10th Sikh Guru and saying the PanjPyaras were also outsiders, Amarinder said he deserved to be"punished" for this "blasphemy". He said AAP leaders were behaving in a "senseless" mannerand they had "no respect for public sentiments". Replying to another question on Haryana’s objectionagainst using ‘Mohali’ with the name of the internationalairport near Chandigarh, Amarinder said it (the airport)should be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh as had already beenagreed upon by both the states, adding that the Union CivilAviation Ministry should clarify on the issue. Speaking on the occasion, Congress’ Punjab in-charge AshaKumari accused the Akalis of "destroying" the state. She said only the Congress party under Amarinder’sleadership can "redeem" Punjab from the "mess" the Akalis haveput it in. PTI CORR VJ GS RC SCRC