Land allotment to Haryana in Chandigarh raises tempers in Punjab

Punjab's ruling AAP, BJP and opposition parties on Thursday criticised the Centre's reported move to clear the allotment of 10 acres of land in Chandigarh to Haryana for the construction of its assembly building. The AAP accused the BJP-led central government of conspiring against the state while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) claimed any decision to allocate land to Haryana in the union territory would be unconstitutional.The SAD said any decision to allocate land to Haryana in Chandigarh would be unconstitutional as it would violate Article 3 whereby Parliament alone can change state boundaries. Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to rescind the decision and asserted that it was in violation of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.Cheema also accused the AAP of being hand in glove with Haryana and the central government. “The AAP did not object when Home Minister Amit Shah made this announcement at a meeting of the North Zone Council meeting (in 2022)”, he claimed.
The Congress said the Centre's clearance is "a calculated move to undermine Punjab's rightful share over its capital". enior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa accused the Centre of furthering a divisive agenda. “BJP’s decision to allot land in Chandigarh for Haryana’s assembly is a calculated move to undermine Punjab’s rightful claim over its capital. This is not just about land, it’s about the integrity and historical rights of Punjab.
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar also opposed the Centre’s move to allot 10 acres in the Union Territory of Chandigarh to Haryana for building its own Vidhan Sabha complex and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to cancel it.He said it is an issue on which all parties of Punjab are unanimous but due to the misunderstanding of chief minister Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party, the claim of Punjab has been weakened. “In Jaipur, when in the meeting of the North Zonal Council, Haryana asked for this land for its Vidhan Sabha before Union home minister Amit Shah, instead of opposing it, the chief minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, gave his stamp of approval to the demand of Haryana by asking for land for the legislative assembly of Punjab as well,” said Jakhar. Jakhar asked why should people of Punjab pay for the stand taken by the state’s “novice chief minister. “Ultimately, Punjab is important,” he added.“Prime Minister Modi has made various attempts to heal the wounds that the state has witnessed recently. The move to allot land for Haryana will hurt the PM’s attempts to uplift Punjab’s religious and social feelings,” Jakhar said.
As per agency report,the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has reportedly granted environmental clearance for the land offered by the Haryana government to the Chandigarh administration in exchange for land to build the second assembly building. The Haryana government offered 12 acres of land in Panchkula in exchange for 10 acres of land near IT Park Road in Chandigarh.At present, Punjab and Haryana share the Vidhan Sabha complex which is next to the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh, the joint capital of the two states.