CHANDIGARH, November 22: Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Friday cautioned the Union government against proceeding with the proposed 131st Constitutional amendment, claiming it includes provisions that could lead to Chandigarh being taken away from Punjab.
Calling the proposal an “uncalled for move”, Warring said he was hopeful that “better sense will prevail” in New Delhi and the government would refrain from pressing ahead with legislation that, according to him, has already alarmed people in the state.
“Chandigarh belongs to Punjab and any attempt to snatch it away will have serious repercussions,” he said, warning that the Centre “must not make any such misadventure” and urging it to make changes in the proposed bill before it is introduced.
Warring, who represents Ludhiana in Parliament, asserted that the Congress is preparing to resist the amendment inside the House. He maintained that the party would coordinate with other like-minded groups to prevent its passage. “We will strongly oppose this legislation in Parliament,” he said.
The Punjab Congress chief also directed pointed questions at the BJP leadership in the state. “Whether you are with Punjab or against Punjab will be determined by the position you take today,” he remarked, challenging Punjab BJP office-bearers to state their stand clearly.
Calling for an urgent political response, Warring urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to immediately raise the issue with the Centre “so that it is stopped before it goes any further”.
He expressed concern that the proposal comes after an earlier Union Education Ministry order scrapping the Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University, which was withdrawn only after “widespread resentment” in Punjab.
Warring noted that successive governments at the Centre have reaffirmed Chandigarh’s status as belonging exclusively to Punjab. He said such commitments over the years demonstrate that delays in transferring Chandigarh to Punjab “do not weaken Punjab’s cause in any way”.
He urged the Union government to withdraw the proposal immediately, cautioning that otherwise “the consequences may be too serious for it to control.”
