Chandigarh (National Times): Escalating tensions over the ongoing water-sharing dispute with Haryana, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched a scathing attack on the central government and state BJP leaders during a press conference, raising serious objections to the Centre’s decision to deploy Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at Bhakra Dam.
On May 19, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notice stating that 296 CISF personnel will be deployed at the Bhakra Dam site. According to the communication, the cost of this deployment would be Rs 2,90,100 per head annually, totaling a staggering Rs 8.58 crore, to be paid by either the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) or the Punjab government.
“Why this sudden need for CISF deployment when the Punjab Police is already managing security at the dam?” Mann asked, expressing his anger over what he called an unnecessary financial burden. “Why are we being asked to pay for central forces to guard our own infrastructure? This is not security, this is rent being extracted from Punjab for its own protection,” he added.
The chief minister did not mince words as he called out senior Punjab BJP leaders — including MoS Ravneet Bittu, state BJP president Sunil Jakhar, and Capt Amarinder Singh — for their silence on the issue. “These are the same leaders who stood in the all-party meeting and promised that not a single drop of Punjab’s water would be given away. Now they must answer — is this notice issued with their consent?” Mann said.
Bringing historical context to his argument, Mann recalled that Punjab has always stood at the frontline of national security. “Be it the Pathankot terror attack or Operation Sindoor, Punjab has always been the bastion of national defense. And yet, we are now being asked to pay to protect ourselves? This is nothing short of humiliation,” he said.
The Chief Minister also hinted that the Centre’s actions may be politically motivated. “Maybe it’s revenge for the farmers’ movement, or because the people of Punjab have denied the BJP political entry into the state. If this continues, one day they might even remove Punjab from the national anthem,” he said in a strong rebuke.
Mann reiterated Punjab’s firm position on the water dispute, making it clear that the state neither has water to spare nor funds to bear such a heavy financial burden. “The Vidhan Sabha unanimously passed a resolution stating we will not share water with Haryana. That decision still stands. We neither have surplus water nor do we have Rs 8.5 crore to give,” he concluded.
The press conference has once again brought the contentious Punjab-Haryana water-sharing issue to the fore, while also raising fresh questions over the role of the Centre and state BJP leadership in the matter.
