Punjab’s ‘United’ Political Front Rejects BBMB Decision to Release ‘Additional’ Water to Haryana
In a land where rivers once freely flowed and agriculture flourished, the fight for every drop has become a question of identity, survival, and justice. Transcending political boundaries and ideological divides, Punjab’s major political parties — Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the Communist Party of India (CPI)-Marxist — on Friday came together in a rare and powerful show of unity to protect the state’s most precious resource — water.
At a two-hour-long all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, all the leaders unanimously resolved to oppose the Bhakra Beas Management Board’s (BBMB) contentious decision to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana, terming it an “unjust and draconian” move. Voicing their collective outrage, Punjab’s leaders jointly declared that the state has no surplus water to offer, and any attempt to forcibly divert its rightful share to Haryana would be met with firm resistance. The sentiment was unequivocal — “Punjab cannot be robbed”.
With emotions running high over what was described as a deliberate attempt to undermine the state's rights, the political brass also resolved to take their fight to the national capital, potentially leading a joint delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the one-day special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, scheduled for Monday.
Significantly, the Centre’s recent attempt to mediate the impasse through a high-level meeting involving top officials from Punjab and Haryana ended without any concrete resolution. However, Centre has directed the Punjab Government to carry out BBMB’s decision to release 4,500 cusecs of “extra” water from Bhakra Dams to Haryana for next eight days to meet their urgent water requirements. It is to be seen whether Punjab would abide by the Centre’s direction or stick to its stand of releasing “no additional water from Punjab’s share”.
After the all-party meeting, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar sided with the AAP-led state government, calling the BBMB directive “unfair and provocative”, while declaring that Punjab had no water to spare for Haryana, and this injustice to Punjab will not be tolerated. Maintaining that the matter, that could have been resolved amicably, has been “blown out of proportion”.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders demanded a scrapping of the outdated Dams Regulation Act, while the Akali Dal leaders called for legally challenging the BBMB’s reconstitution, while urging the Centre to intervene and resolve the matter.
The meeting, held at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, was attended by top state leadership from across the political spectrum, including Aman Arora of the ruling AAP, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Rana KP Singh of the Congress, SAD veterans Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Daljeet Singh Cheema, BJP’s Sunil Jakhar and Manoranjan Kalia, BSP state chief Avtar Singh Karimpuri, CPI leader Bant Singh Brar, and CPM’s Sukhwinder Singh Sekhon.
Chief Minister Mann, addressing the press after the meeting accompanied by leaders of all parties, said: “This is not about party lines or political mileage. This is about Punjab, its lifeline, and its right. I thank all political parties for standing together. We are convening a special session of the Vidhan Sabha on Monday to decide the next steps. We have received the Governor’s approval for the session. We may also meet the Prime Minister jointly. We are ready for any struggle necessary to protect Punjab’s water.”
Mann said that despite Haryana exhausting its share by March-end, Punjab extended humanitarian support by releasing 4,000 cusecs per day. “But now, Haryana’s demand for 8,500 cusecs is nothing short of arm-twisting,” he said, reiterating that Punjab’s own reservoirs were drying up and the groundwater table dangerously depleting. “Every single drop is precious. There is no surplus,” Mann said.
Dismissing the Centre’s attempts as “unilateral arm-twisting”, Mann warned that Punjab would not bow down. “This is not an isolated issue. It is about federal respect, state autonomy, and environmental sustainability,” he said.
Centre Directs Punjab to Release “Additional” 4500 cusecs Water to Haryana
In a decisive intervention, the Centre has directed the Punjab Government to comply with the BBMB’s order to release an additional 4,500 cusecs of water from the Bhakra dam to Haryana for the next eight days to address the state’s pressing water needs. The directive was issued during a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Friday and attended by senior officials from all four BBMB partner states — Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan — along with BBMB representatives. The move comes in the wake of Punjab’s repeated refusal to release water to Haryana, which forced the Centre to step in and mediate. According to official sources, it was also agreed that BBMB would provide excess water to Punjab during the dam-filling season to meet any additional demands, offering a temporary balancing mechanism amidst the growing inter-state tensions over water sharing.
BBMB Meeting Today
BBMB has convened another special meeting on Saturday (May 3) at 5 pm at its headquarters in Chandigarh. Senior officials from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh have been asked to attend the meeting. As per the official communication, the meeting aims to deliberate on the issue of providing 8500 cusecs water to Haryana, as per its demand. Notably, the decision by BBMB, taken in technical meeting on late Wednesday night, to release 8,500 cusecs of additional water to Haryana from the Bhakra reservoir has caused political tremors across Punjab. According to Mann, BBMB held a sudden meeting — convened within three hours instead of the mandatory one-week notice — to approve the controversial release. This, he claimed, was a “pre-meditated move” designed to undermine Punjab’s interests.
Mann also pointed to a broader pattern of the Centre allegedly weakening Punjab’s role in BBMB by removing the state’s nominee from the post of Member (Power). “BBMB is now being used as a tool to conspire against Punjab,” he said, adding, “We demand that Punjab be given veto power in BBMB decisions, as it holds a 60 percent share.” Leaders from all parties backed the demand for restoring Punjab’s control and challenging BBMB’s decisions legally. SAD’s Daljeet Singh Cheema said: “We need to move court against the Centre’s unconstitutional reconstitution of BBMB. This is not just administrative overreach, it’s a direct assault on federalism.”
Jakhar’s Stand Sparks Political Churn
Perhaps the most politically significant development was BJP state president Sunil Jakhar’s open alignment with Punjab’s interests over party allegiance. “I am a Punjabi first. There’s no extra water to give. The issue could have been handled more delicately, but this is not the time for blame. We must stand united,” said Jakhar, who hails from the water-stressed Abohar region in southern Punjab. Jakhar also called for a delegation of all party leaders to meet the Prime Minister or Union Home Minister to ensure that the matter is not brushed aside. His remarks appeared to be a veiled response to AAP’s state unit president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora, who had, a day before, challenged him to “prove his love for Punjab”. While Jakhar conceded that in previous years, small adjustments were made to meet Haryana’s drinking water needs during depletion periods, he asserted that this year’s demand far exceeds such humanitarian considerations. “Now it is about irrigation, not drinking water. This is coercion,” he said, adding that the way the BBMB tried to snatch away Punjab’s water and transferred officers is unjustified. “Dhakke naal Punjabi kuch nahi dende….Pyaar naal kuch v mang lo (Punjabis don’t give anything by force…Ask with love, and you can have anything),” said Jakhar.
The Numbers Behind the Issue
Chief Minister Mann laid out the grim statistics. Water levels at Punjab’s three key reservoirs — Pong Dam, Bhakra Dam, and Ranjit Sagar Dam — are significantly lower than previous year’s levels by 32 feet, 12 feet, and 14 feet respectively. “This is unprecedented. The groundwater is also receding. Farmers are in distress. We cannot afford to give away what we don’t have,” he said. According to the state estimates, Haryana’s population of around three crore requires 1,700 cusecs daily for drinking water — a need Punjab is already addressing. But Haryana has now demanded 2.5 times more. “This extra water is not for drinking. It is clearly for irrigation, which is unjustified when their share has already been exhausted,” said Mann.
The meeting concluded with a broad consensus on both the immediate and long-term action plan. First, the Vidhan Sabha will pass a resolution condemning BBMB’s unilateral move. Second, legal recourse will be explored to challenge both the water release and BBMB’s reconstitution. Third, a delegation of all-party leaders will seek a meeting with the Prime Minister.
Congress leader Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa went a step further, demanding that the outdated Dams Regulation Act be scrapped altogether. “This law is being misused to sideline Punjab. We need to reframe the rules in line with current realities,” he said.
Rana KP, Vidhan Sabha’s former Speaker and senior Congress leader, said: “We told the Chief Minister clearly — whether it’s a protest, a legal battle, or a political mission to Delhi, we’re ready to stand with the government. This is not AAP’s fight. It is Punjab’s.”
BSP’s Avtar Singh Karimpuri echoed similar sentiments. “This is no time to count votes. The Centre and Haryana are teaming up to snatch Punjab’s lifeblood. We will not allow it.”
Friday’s all-party meeting may well go down as a watershed moment in Punjab’s political history. In a state known for fierce partisan rivalry, the coming together of warring factions — from SAD to AAP, BJP to Congress — speaks volumes about the gravity of the crisis.
Chief Minister Mann called it a “moral victory” for Punjab. “Our great Gurus taught us to stand against injustice. Today, we stand together in that spirit. This is not the end. It is the beginning of a just fight,” he said.
Even as political leaders prepare for the special Assembly session on Monday, the message to the Centre is loud and clear — Punjab will not allow its rights to be trampled. The state is united, defiant, and determined.
All Parties Resolved…
· “Punjab has no water to spare. The Centre must stop weakening Punjab’s position in BBMB”
· “The removal of Punjab’s officer from BBMB and forcing decisions without consensus is unacceptable”
· “All legal, political and administrative measures must be taken to protect Punjab’s rights”
BOX-2
“Punjab cannot be robbed of its rightful water overnight…It was like an emergency imposed on us...We are already giving 4,000 cusecs to Haryana on humanitarian grounds. Now, they want more”
— Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann
“We are from the land of Bhai Ghanaiya. If we had water, we would have shared it…Every single drop of water is precious for the state and there is no question of sharing the water with any other state”
— Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann
“There is a set division of water. We do not have a drop extra to give…Punjabis do not give in to force…I am a Punjabi. I stand with Punjab. I do not need a certificate from anyone to prove my love for Punjab…This confrontation was totally avoidable. The issue could have been sorted amicably”
— Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar
“We are all together in this. We have no fight amongst ourselves. It is an issue concerning Punjab”
— SAD’s Balwinder Singh Bhunder
“People of Haryana are like our brothers. Punjab has given their rightful due. But since Punjab is short of water, we cannot spare any extra…The way they have used force to get the BBMB resolution passed, we oppose it…We have demanded that the Dam Safety Act be scrapped”
— Congress leader, former Minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa
“We told the CM that we are ready to support him. If he wants us to sit on a dharna or go to the PM, we are with him”
— Former Speaker, Congress leader Rana KP Singh
“CM has taken a visionary decision. All parties must unite to save Punjab’s waters”
— BSP’s Avtar Singh Karimpuri
