Captain Amarinder Singh addressed the media in Kartarpur. (Source: Express file photo) Captain Amarinder Singh addressed the media in Kartarpur. (Source: Express file photo)

Taking a stern stand on the SYL issue, state Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh Sunday announced that all party legislators will resign en masse if the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal goes against Punjab. He said that as the president of PPCC, he will resign from his post as MP and that he has concrete information that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will also tender his resignation or they (Akalis) will go against the Centre to hold a protest on this issue.

Addressing the media in Kartarpur on the sidelines of ‘Halke Vich Captain’ programme, Amarinder said he expect the verdict to be declared out by mid-August.

“While we respect the Supreme Court verdict, but we have duty towards the people of Punjab, hence we will find legislative and constitutional ways and means to safeguard our water.” “Out of 105 lakh acres of agricultural land, over 10 lakh acres in Malwa region remain dry. People will not have drinking water if SC decides against Punjab,” he added.

Captain reiterated his appeal to the SC judges, particularly the Chief Justice of India (CJI), that before pronouncing the final judgment, it must assess the availability of water afresh and not base it on the assessment that was made decades ago. “The Eradi panel had wrongly assessed the availability of water at 18 MAF (million acre feet), as that much water never flowed in Punjab, he said, adding that when measurements were taken, there were floods in Punjab and that the actual availability of water currently is only 13 MAF.

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Further clarifying the party’s decision to tender mass resignation, the PCC chief said that after submitting their resignations, the party will reach out to people and seek their mandate. After forming the government in 2017, they will initiate legal and constitutional measures to safeguard the waters similar to 2004 when the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act was enacted.

Jalandhar MP Chaudhry Santokh Singh who was also present at the press conference warned the Chief Minister not to imperil peaceful atmosphere in the state by taking out a “morcha”.

“I know Badal very well. He will resort to his cunning ways and would take out some morcha after resigning from government. But such morchas will push Punjab into ‘turmoil’ only which we will not allow,” he said, adding, “Why under his (Badal) chief ministership, Punjab’s case appears to be the weakest ever? The situation is such that we are staring at an imminent loss in the Supreme Court.”

‘Will talk to Jakhar’

Regarding party colleague Sunil Jakhar’s statement that he will observe fast unto death if Punjab CM PS Badal failed to get positive assurance from the Centre on SYL, Amarinder said that such protests are done by Akalis not by Congress. “We will solve it through constitutional means and will speak to Jakhar about it,” he said.

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