Punjab politics heated up Tuesday as SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal unleashed a scathing critique of CM Bhagwant Mann’s approach to the SYL canal deadlock. Badal called out Mann for inappropriately citing Sikh saint Bhai Kanhaiya to defend water-sharing with Haryana, terming it a ‘gross misrepresentation of Sikh ethos.’
In a strongly worded X post, Badal emphasized that Guru Gobind Singh endorsed acts of mercy but also urged defending legitimate rights. ‘Mann’s attempt to equate Punjab’s precious river waters with battlefield aid is deplorable. This isn’t kindness; it’s abdication of duty,’ he wrote.
Demanding Mann apologize for ‘tampering with Sikh history,’ Badal highlighted his father Parkash Singh Badal’s decisive move to de-notify the SYL canal and compensate landowners. ‘That was the real solution—protecting Punjab’s interests,’ he said.
The controversy stems from Mann’s post-meeting comments with Haryana’s Nayab Saini, where he invoked Bhai Kanhaiya’s humanitarianism. ‘We are heirs to those who quenched thirst even of foes. Haryana is family,’ Mann stated.
Badal drew historical parallels, accusing Mann of following Congress leader Darbara Singh’s footsteps in yielding to central pressures. With SYL remaining a flashpoint, this exchange signals escalating SAD-AAP hostilities.
Punjab’s farmers, already grappling with agrarian distress, view the canal as a threat to their survival. Badal’s intervention rallies Akali loyalists, positioning SAD as the unyielding guardian of Punjab’s water rights amid ongoing Supreme Court oversight.