Chandigarh belongs to Punjab, not an inch of land for Haryana: AAP

Chandigarh belongs to Punjab and not an inch of land should be given to Haryana for the construction of its assembly building here, a delegation of the AAP urged Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday.

Punjab's ruling AAP and the opposition parties from the state have criticised the Centre's reported move to clear the allotment of 10 acres of land in Chandigarh to Haryana for the construction of its assembly building.

On Friday, Punjab and Haryana's ruling outfits -- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- sparred over the issue.

"Chandigarh belongs to Punjab and we are not going to give even an inch of land... Punjab has right over Chandigarh and we will fight for our right.

We have submitted a memorandum to the Governor. We have said that no land should be alloted to Haryana in Chandigarh (for the Vidhan Sabha)," Punjab's Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said after leading a party delegation which met Kataria.

Kataria is also the administrator of Union Territory Chandigarh, which is the common capital of both Punjab and Haryana.

Haryana was carved out as a separate state in 1966.

"Chandigarh belongs to Punjab and it is Punjab's capital.

Haryana does not have any right to build its Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh," Cheema, who along with another Punjab Minister Harjot Singh Bains submitted a memorandum to the governor, told reporters later.

At a separate event here, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini hit out at the AAP, asking it not to do "dirty politics".

Chandigarh is part of Haryana and Punjab too and we have the right over Chandigarh, he said.

Saini also asked the Bhagwant Mann dispensation to give SYL waters to Haryana.

Saini advised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to focus on addressing the pressing issues in Punjab and not to concern himself with Haryana's matters.

After meeting the governor here, Cheema said the Punjab government has registered a strong protest against the move to clear land allotment to Haryana in Chandigarh.

When Haryana was carved out as a separate state, it was made clear that Haryana would make its own capital, Vidhan Sabha, Cheema said.

For six decades, Haryana failed to have its capital or build its Vidhan Sabha in the state and now they are laying claim on Punjab's capital. They should not do so. We advise them why can't they build their capital in Panchkula, which is barely one km metres away from the place where they are seeking land for Vidhan Sabha building in Chandigarh.They should make their Vidhan Sabha in Panchkula, he added.

Cheema said the issue involves the sentiments of three crore people of Punjab which is that Chandigarh belongs to Punjab.

However, Saini said, "Chandigarh is part of Haryana and Punjab too. I want to tell the leaders of Punjab that Haryana is Punjab's younger brother. Why are they spoiling the brotherhood?" "To serve their political interests, first they stopped our SYL water.

People of Punjab are our brothers, they also want that water should be given to Haryana. But they do dirty politics. First they stopped SYL water and now they are raking up Vidhan Sabha issue. Haryana also has right over Chandigarh," he added.

Asserting "they should not try to divert public attention like this", Saini said, "I want to tell Bhagwant Mann that he should focus on welfare of farmers...procure crops of farmers, which he is not doing, he is not giving MSP, he only wants to divert public attention by saying they will not allow Vidhan Sabha to come up here." "Why? Don't we have a right. We have the right over Chandigarh," he added.

Saini also said that farmers in Punjab were recently forced to block roads just to sell their crops. Even then, many of them were unable to sell their produce and did not receive the payment on Minimum Support Price (MSP), he claimed.

When asked to comment on AAP delegation meeting the Punjab Governor, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that Haryana should not give any land to Chandigarh in Panchkula in exchange and instead extend its existing Vidhan Sabha in the premises where it is already functioning.

"Why should Haryana give 12 acres of land. It should extend it (the assembly) in the existing building," Hooda told reporters here.

Besides, he said "Haryana should also strongly put forward the SYL water issue and the issue of Hindi speaking areas and Haryana should take its rights".

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has reportedly granted environmental clearance for the land offered by the Haryana government to the Chandigarh administration in exchange for land to build the second assembly building here.

The Haryana government offered 12 acres of land in Panchkula in exchange for 10 acres of land near IT Park Road in Chandigarh.

At present, Punjab and Haryana's separate assemblies are located in the common building complex which is next to the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh, the joint capital of the two states.

Cheema alleged that Congress and SAD-BJP which ruled Punjab in the past for decades never exercised claim over Chandigarh and never talked to Centre on this issue.

At one time, the Congress ruled at the Centre and both in Punjab and Haryana while the BJP ruled at the Centre, in Haryana and were partners in the SAD-BJP dispensation in Punjab, but the issue was not resolved. These parties only did politics over it, he claimed.

Cheema said when these parties were in power, they failed to protect Punjab's interests on the issue. They failed to address the issue, he added.

Notably, this is not the first time when neighbouring Punjab and Haryana have sparred over Chandigarh.

In April 2022, barely days after the AAP came to power in Punjab, the Punjab Assembly passed a resolution seeking immediate transfer of the Union Territory of Chandigarh to the AAP-ruled state.

Days later, the Haryana Assembly had also passed a resolution, noting with concern the resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly staking claim over the Union Territory of Chandigarh.