Chandigarh (The Hawk): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly opposed the decision to build the Haryana Legislative Assembly complex in Chandigarh. The party questioned, if Haryana is offering 12 acres of land in Panchkula to the Chandigarh administration, why is the assembly not being built there instead?
In a press conference on Wednesday, AAP MLA and former minister Anmol Gagan Maan said that in 1966, when Haryana was carved out of Punjab, it was promised that Chandigarh would be handed over to Punjab after some time. Until Haryana built its own capital, Chandigarh would remain a Union Territory. However, 58 years have passed, and Chandigarh has not been handed over to Punjab.
She stated that Chandigarh belongs entirely to Punjab, as it was built on the lands of 22 villages of Punjab. The decision to build a legislative assembly for Haryana in Chandigarh is completely wrong. We will not tolerate it. This decision is entirely against Punjab.
Anmol Gagan Maan cited the example of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, saying that when Telangana was created in 2014, it was immediately decided that Hyderabad would be the capital of Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh would establish its new capital in Amaravati. In this year's budget, the Modi government announced ₹15,000 crores for Andhra Pradesh's new capital and promised ₹50,000 crores over the next few years.
She asked why, if a quick decision and financial assistance could be given to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, similar treatment was not being extended to Punjab. She claimed that the Haryana assembly is being built in Chandigarh to establish Haryana's permanent claim over the city. This is a major conspiracy against Punjab, and we will fight it on all fronts.
The AAP leader accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress of deliberately delaying the matter for years, despite both parties being in power in Punjab, Haryana, and at the Centre at various times. She pointed out that the BJP was in power in all three regions from 2014 to 2017, and even when it was in coalition with the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, it did nothing and instead harmed Punjab. Similarly, the Congress also delayed the matter. Both parties must explain their actions.
—Jag Mohan Thaken