LUDHIANA: The Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh has denied the report which appeared in the Indian Express that he had written to the Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao to go slow with the implementation of the Rajiv Longowal accord.

Talking to newsmen here Singh termed the news report as a miscalculation by somebody. He said he never pleaded for a go-slow and had been always striving for an immediate solution to the Punjab problem.

He said he had always been pressing the Center for transferring Chandigarh to Punjab without further delay. At the time he wanted Abohar and Fategarh areas to stay in Punjab. He said Haryana could be granted financial compensation in lieu of this to enable it to build its new campaign.

Beant Singh treated his commitment to resolve the interstate water dispute. He said Punjab should be accorded its river waters on the basis of July 1, 1985.

He said he had approached the Prime Minister to hold a meeting with Chief Ministers in Punjab and Haryana which would be binding . He said so far he and Bhajanmet Rao only individually and never together.

He stated that he had met Bhajan Lal four times of late and expected the meetings to continue.

The chief minister also refuted that there was a wave of resignations by village sarpanhes and panches in the state. He said the move was confirmed to a few districts on Ludhiana Ropar and Patiala. He said village elders were interested in working and did not want to quit.

He said in reply to a question that the cases of Akali leaders in Jail were under review and those agreeing not to create trouble would be released. He also denied that he had sent police to arrest the SGPC chief G.S.Tohra.

ENS stands by its report. Correspondence between the Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh Ministry of Home Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office show that the Punjab Government is not willing to go ahead with the implementation of the Rajiv Longowal accord.

Even the document entitled “Territorial and water issue stand point of Punjab” submitted by the Punjab Government to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister on May 2 make it clear that the state government is opposed to the Rajiv-Longowal accord implementation.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 26, 1992