Political leaders across party lines have been invited to participate in the meeting.
In the latest development over the ongoing water dispute between Haryana and Punjab, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has convened an all-party meeting on Saturday, at 2 pm at his residence.
The meeting is aimed at building a unified political stance on the state's long-standing contention with Punjab regarding water allocation from the Bhakra system.
The ongoing row was triggered by the Bhakra Beas Management Board's (BBMB) decision to release 8,500 cusecs of water from the reservoir to Haryana, which is an additional 4,500 cusecs.
The Haryana government, led by the BJP, seeks to formulate a comprehensive strategy to assert its rights over water distribution.
Political leaders across party lines have been invited to participate in the meeting. Representatives from the ruling BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have all confirmed attendance.
Notable leaders slated to attend include BJP's Mohan Lal Badoli, Congress state president Udai Bhan, INLD's Ram Pal Majra, JJP leader Dushyant Chautala, AAP's Sushil Gupta, Krishan Jamalpur of BSP, and CPI(M)'s Prem Chand. The National People's Party, though headquartered in Shillong, has also been invited to join the dialogue.
The move comes shortly after Punjab held a similar all-party consultation on the issue on Friday.
The all-party meeting, chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday to discuss the issue of giving additional water to neighbouring Haryana, unanimously decided that the state itself has no surplus water. They also decided to meet either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to apprise them of the situation.
The meeting comprised leaders from the AAP, BJP, the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal. Later there was a media interaction after the all-party meeting of all prominent parties expressed unanimity with the AAP government's refusal to share extra water with Haryana.
Chief Minister Mann told the media that all the political parties, rising above their ideology, suggested to the government that it must save every drop of the water which is the state's lifeline.
Chief Minister Mann said Haryana, which is already receiving 4,700 cusecs against its allocated 1,700 cusecs, is now set to benefit from additional 'theft' of Punjab's rightful share.
Chief Minister Mann clarified that Haryana has already used 103 per cent of its share and warned of agitation "if Punjab's rights are denied".
He said the government of Punjab has convened a special Assembly session on sharing water on May 5.
Similarly, addressing the media in Panchkula on Friday, Chief Minister Saini criticised Punjab's AAP-led government for allegedly politicising the water crisis, stating that Haryana has a legal and moral claim to its rightful share. The chief minister emphasised that the issue transcends party lines and requires a united front to safeguard Haryana's interests.
Interestingly, the water dispute has created a peculiar political scenario, with national parties such as the BJP, Congress, and AAP facing internal contradictions. While their Haryana units are pushing for rightful water allocation, their Punjab counterparts maintain there is no surplus water to share and Haryana has already got its share of the water.
The latest stand-off began on April 23, when Haryana sought 8,500 cusecs of water from the Bhakra-Nangal project, 4,500 cusecs more than what it is currently receiving. Punjab Chief Minister Mann refused, putting the ball in the court of the BBMB.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
