Chandigarh: Even as the Punjab assembly on Friday passed a resolution seeking immediate transfer of Chandigarh to the state, all the political parties of the neighbouring state Haryana tore into Punjab’s stance citing Chandigarh to be the joint capital of both the states, besides being a union territory (UT) since the Re-organisation of Punjab in 1966.
The said resolution was moved by Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann in a specially called one-day assembly session which saw a walkout by both the BJP legislators from the House. However, members of all the other political parties, including the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has a whopping majority of 92 members in the House of 117, Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) members and others came out in support of the resolution.
Speaking on the resolution, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann accused the Centre of trying to upset the balance in the administration of the UT and other common assets.
The special session came up amid a political row whipped up by Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement made on March 27 that Central service rules would apply to the employees of Chandigarh.
Under the rules, the retirement age of the Chandigarh employees increases from 58 to 60 and the women employees would get childcare leave of two years instead of the current one year. The Centre has notified the rules.
Later while interacting with the media, Mann said that in the coming days, the Punjab MLAs would seek time from the President, the prime minister and the Union home minister over this issue and put up the Punjab stance before them.
HARYANA FLAYS PUNJAB STAND
Reacting sharply over the development, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that Chandigarh is and will remain the capital of Haryana and Punjab.
Stating the decision to implement Central service rules was taken considering the demand and interest of the employees working in Chandigarh, Khattar said that the Punjab government was misleading the public on this issue.
He said that Punjab had not yet given the benefit of the 7th Pay Commission to the employees whereas Haryana had implemented it in 2016 itself.
Khattar said that Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh came into existence through the Punjab Re-organisation Act passed in the year 1966. Khattar further said that not only Punjab and Haryana but the people of Himachal Pradesh also claim their shares in Chandigarh.
Meanwhile, the Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja said that the resolution in the Punjab assembly which held that only Punjab had right over Chandigarh and it should be declared the capital of Punjab only reflected the anti-Haryana thinking of the AAP.
Stating that Haryana also had full right over Chandigarh, Selja said that despite the BJP government is in power both at the Center and in the state for the last eight years, Haryana was yet to get the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) water whereas the decision of the Supreme Court had also come in favour of Haryana.
