Chandigarh, May 2: Punjab BJP leader Preneet Kaur has strongly opposed the Bhakra Beas Management Board’s (BBMB) decision to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana, arguing that Punjab cannot spare any water due to its own severe shortages.
At a press conference with her daughter, Jai Inder Kaur, the state BJP Mahila Morcha chief, Preneet Kaur emphasized that the party completely disagrees with the decision.
“Punjab doesn’t have a single drop of extra water to share. We are already facing a major water crisis, with 115 zones declared as dark zones,” Kaur stated.
The veteran leader, who is also a four-time Member of Parliament from Patiala, pointed to decreasing water levels in key reservoirs like Bhakra, Pong, and Ranjit Sagar dams, which are all significantly below normal.
“Water levels have been continuously falling, and the state is grappling with an acute shortage,” she added.
Kaur criticized Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his failure to represent Punjab’s interests at the BBMB meeting, accusing him of focusing on rhetoric rather than addressing the core issue.
“It is very unfortunate that the Punjab Government could not present its case effectively. While Chief Minister Mann was busy with empty words, Punjab fell behind in the negotiations,” Kaur said.
She warned that this failure could worsen the water crisis, particularly for farmers.
“Because of this mismanagement, our farmers may face an even worse water shortage in the near future,” she explained.
The BJP leader also held the Aam Aadmi Party government responsible for the crisis, criticizing it for staging protests to deflect attention from its failure to act.
“The AAP government is directly responsible for this situation and is using protests as a distraction from its inaction,” Kaur concluded.
