Opposition Skips Discussion on Satluj Yamuna Link Canal

On 4 Oct, the Supreme Court reprimanded Panjab on the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal. The issue is over four decades old and started another round of political activities in the state. The Court ordered a survey of land that was once acquired for the canal, returned by the previous SAD government to farmers in 2016. All parties in Panjab responded saying ‘there is not a drop of water to share with Haryana.’ However, instead of standing united, their protests were brutally suppressed by the current AAP government. Amidst this, CM Mann called for an Open Discussion on the issue on 1 Nov. On 27 Oct, INC MLA Pargat Singh called for another discussion led by experts. Leaders from all parties except AAP listened to the issues and made their remarks. This first-ever, over five-hour open discussion, demonstrated that Panjab can dialogue and come to conclusions on how to handle its issues. Meanwhile, Mann kept changing the agenda for his event, the state police instructed farmer leaders to not attend, activists were detained, and the result was that not a single opposition leader showed up. Mann sat alone on the stage. Panjabis registered the deep irony: the opposition demonstrated how they could conduct a constructive dialogue but the government failed in taking them along. This was an opportunity for Mann to rise as a leader across party lines; sadly, he missed it.