Haryana won't allow diversion of a single drop of water to Rajasthan: INLD

Sirsa, Jul 7 (PTI) Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president Abhay Singh Chautala on Tuesday strongly opposed the recent agreement signed by the Haryana government to supply Yamuna river water to Rajasthan, and said it is a political move to hoodwink people. He said they would not allow "even a single drop" of water to be diverted to Rajasthan when several parts of Haryana were facing acute water shortage. "We will oppose it at every level, no matter how much struggle it takes," he said. Chautala demanded that the Centre and the Haryana government first implement the Supreme Court's directions on the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. He also said the three dams envisaged under earlier agreements should be completed before any decision on sharing additional water. The INLD chief said Haryana farmers are yet to receive SYL canal water. "People in many villages are forced to buy drinking water. In such a situation, sending water outside Haryana is unacceptable," he said. Calling the recent memorandum of understanding signed between the Haryana and Rajasthan governments "an attempt to create confusion among the public", Chautala criticised the BJP governments at the Centre and in the states over the issue. Commenting on the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple, Chautala accused the BJP of exploiting people's religious sentiments. He said the saffron party had earlier used the Ram temple issue for political purposes and was now trying to cover up the alleged financial irregularities by seeking resignations from some office-bearers. The donations collected in the name of the temple had not been handled properly, he said, demanding accountability. PTI VSD RUK RUK