Akali Dal opposes Haryana's proposal to establish Assembly in Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Nov 20 (IANS) Former Punjab Minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Sunday appealed to Chandigarh Administrator Banwarilal Purohit to deny the Haryana government's land swap proposal to establish a separate Assembly here, asserting the proposal was against constitutional propriety.

Reacting to a submission made to the UT Administrator by the Haryana Assembly Speaker, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader in a letter to the Administrator said Chandigarh was an inalienable part of Punjab and the Haryana government could not apply for a land swap without taking the consent of the parent state.

"If such requests are taken into consideration, they will create anarchy as nothing stops the Punjab and Himachal governments to put in requests for land swaps. The application is also against Section 3 of the Constitution which makes it clear that only the Parliament can change the borders of a state with the consent of the President."

The SAD leader also apprised the Governor that the issue also concerned the sentiments of Punjabis which might get inflamed in the same manner as in the case of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) issue.

"Punjab has gone through a period of strife and nothing should be done which has the propensity to vitiate the atmosphere in the region. Haryana thinks it will strengthen its case in Chandigarh by establishing a separate Vidhan Sabha but it is playing with fire. SAD, on its part, is committed to opposing this insidious agenda vigorously in keeping with the sentiments of Punjabis who find this proposal intolerable and unacceptable."

Majithia also told the Administrator that the Haryana government's application was also in contravention of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, the Rajiv Longowal Accord and also against the spirit of federalism as a unilateral decision on this request would be discriminatory towards Punjab.