India’s constitution vests most important political and financial powers in the Union (Center) while granting a few powers to the states, ‘One power that the states enjoy pertains to river water and the electricity produced from water. Punjab, as such, has total right over all its three rivers the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi. No other state under India’s laws can even raise a dispute with regard to a share in Punjab’s rivers. Yet, nearly 70% of the Punjab. rivers’ water is flowing into Rajasthan and Haryana while the state’s own farmers have to install expensive tubewells to draw out underground water to irrigate their fields.
Even so, not only has no Akali politician meaningfully raised this issue all these years, but Sant Harchand Singh Longowal signed an accord with the Indian prime minister, agreeing to construct a canal inside the Punjab territory to transfer more water (o Haryana, Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal some time ago claimed that 725% work on the S.Y.L. canal was done during the Akali government, headed by Surjit Singh Barmala during 1985-86, Charges have been flung on Badal by Chief Minister Beant Singh that he was responsible for laying the foundation of S.Y.L. canal construction as early as in 1977 when his government accepted money from Haryana for that purpose. Badal’s reply is that it was done by his officers without his knowledge and that the inflow of money for S.Y.L. really had started during the days when Giani Zail Singh was chief minister. ‘The S.Y.L. canal still is half built and more water has not yet started flowing out of Punjab. If Badal is genuinely concerned about Punjab’s rights over its rivers, he should even at this stage pause and take a stand ‘on the issue, But, no, he is not the one to displease the Indian central government and supporters of Haryana and Rajasthan, In fact, all national political parties are in favor of more water being taken out of Punjab and the state being deprived of its right to water. Almost all Indian political parties praise the Rajiy Longowal accord which effectively scuttled Punjabi’s rights to its rivers. Leaders of these parties every year flock to Longowal village in August to pay their homage to the signatory of the anti-Sikh accord, the late Sant Harchand Singh Longowal.
Badal is a supporter of the accord although he is embarrassed in publicly saying so. Initially, he had described the accord as a stab in Panth’s back, But later he announced his support to the accord by saying that he is doing so as a disciplined soldier of the Akali Dal, He parted company with the Barnala-Balwant group not on the question of the accord but on the issue of the Barnala government sending the police inside the Golden Temple in March 1986. The Badal faction has not been attending Longowal’s death anniversary for all these years. But this time the faction made elaborate preparations to observe the event and invited several national leaders-two former prime ministers and three state chief ministers. The function chaired by Badal himself passed a resolution calling for implementation of the Rajiv-Longowal accord which, inter alia, lays down that work on the S.Y.L. canal would continue, A Haryana B.J.P. leader, Srishma Swaray, announced away from Longowal village that her party is trying to persuade Badal to resume work on the S.Y.L. canal. It is a pity that most Sikhs still do not understand the political veining of Harchand Sinch Longowal and his accord with Rajiv mere tool in the hands of corrupt and an like Barnala, Balwant Singh and Ramoowalia, He himself was not only illiterate but belonged to an area ‘mown for political illiteracy and worst backwardness contrary to his public image built by the Indian media, Sant Longowal was a double dealer. He said something in public and did quite the reverse in private. It is well known by now that he was in constant touch with Mrs. Indira Gandhi on the eve of operation Bluestar. From all accounts, it is evident he was not averse {0 a limited operation to arrest or kill Sant Jamail Singh Bhindranwale. Longowal was clearly jealous of Sant Bhindranwale’s popularity with the masses. His accord with Rajiv Gandhi represented the worst and the blackest phase in the proud Sikh history. No self-respecting Sikh can have anything to do with Longowal, his corrupt cronies and his infamous accord with Rajiv Gandhi. Yet Badalisall set to revive the Longowal memory and is willing to follow his anti-Sikh path. It is surprising that those who should know the Longowal legacy are not realizing its true meaning for the Sikh nation, At least one thing should make them aware, if nothing else helps: why is it that the Hindu India is raising Longowal sky high? Simranjit Singh Mann reportedly remarked that he had not received an invitation to reach Longowal to join the observance of his assassination day. Had he received an invitation, would Mann have gone there to join the (Hindu) nation in paying tributes to Longowal? Let Mann rethink, None can stop Badal from the path he has chosen: of following in Longowal’s footsteps. An enlightened Sikh nation will follow its own proud path and not the one shown by a treacherous character like Longowal.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 25, 1995
