The ongoing campaign to protect Punjab’s water received a strong boost at Kiratpur Sahib as Cabinet Ministers Harjot Singh Bains and Lal Chand Kataruchak joined the protest at Lohand Khadd. The dharna is part of the broader morcha to safeguard the state’s water resources.
Addressing the gathering, Education and Information Minister Harjot Singh Bains praised the unwavering commitment of the people of Punjab, who have been maintaining a 24-hour vigil at Kiratpur Sahib. He criticized the BBMB Chairman for allegedly trying to divert Punjab’s water to other states during national crises, acting under the influence of the central government. Bains highlighted that CM Bhagwant Mann has visited Nangal Dam four times, underscoring the AAP government’s strong resolve to protect Punjab’s interests. He also challenged the opposition to show what concrete steps they took in the past to secure the state’s water rights.
Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak accused the BJP-led central government and other authorities of using unconstitutional means to manipulate BBMB decisions against Punjab.
Other ministers—including NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, and Power & PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO—also joined the protest at Nangal Dam. They asserted that Punjab had shared water with Haryana out of goodwill, but now lacks sufficient water for its own needs and cannot afford to give any to other states. They criticized BBMB for issuing biased decisions despite Punjab having a 60% share in the board, and stressed that water is Punjab’s lifeline, with not even a drop to spare.
MLAs Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Gurdeep Singh Randhawa, Balveer Singh Pannu, along with senior officials like Ranjit Singh Cheema and Dr. Sanjeev Gautam, were also present at the protest.