Not even a drop will be left: Sampla

Punjab: Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Sampla on Friday supported Punjab’s stand on river water sharing with Haryana, saying the state does not have even a drop of surplus water to share. Sampla also told reporters that his party was considering sending a delegation of state leaders to raise the issue before the Centre. The remarks came after the BJP came under fire on the issue as party-ruled Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi came together to corner Punjab for allegedly releasing excess water from the Bhakra dam.

Sampla, however, accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of “already sharing thousands of cusecs of surplus state water” with Haryana and “failing to protect” Punjab’s interests. Sampla said the state BJP stood by the state’s stand that Punjab did not have even a drop of surplus water for Haryana. He said, “Haryana had asked for 8,500 cusecs of water. The BJP stands for the state’s right to water and believes the AAP government in the state should also stand firmly for it.”