CM Bhagwant Mann welcomes Centre’s decision to not table the Chandigarh bill, while AAP, Congress and SAD warn the BJP may reintroduce it later.

Bhagwant Mann, the chief minister, expressed his satisfaction on Sunday with the national government’s decision to withdraw the Chandigarh bill rather than present it to Parliament.

He expressed satisfaction with the Union home ministry’s clarification that the central government had no intention of introducing any bill to alter Chandigarh’s governance or administrative structure in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. He wrote on X, “I hope that in the future as well, no decision related to Punjab will be made without consulting the people of Punjab.”

Following a political uproar in Punjab over the plan to classify the Union territory of Chandigarh as a Union territory without legislatures by bringing it under Article 240 of the Constitution, the home ministry released the clarification.

Malvinder Singh Kang, the Anandpur Sahib MP for the AAP, stated that Punjab has a legal and historical claim to Chandigarh and that caution is still required. “We demand that Chandigarh be returned to Punjab,” he continued. Prior to this, the AAP launched a full-scale attack on the Center on Sunday over the planned constitutional amendment measure.

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The attack on the BJP-led central government was spearheaded by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who claimed that the attempt to deprive Punjab of its rights over Chandigarh through constitutional modifications was a direct attack on the state’s identity and constitutional rights rather than a routine procedure. He claimed that it was very risky to have this mentality of dismantling the federal system in order to take away the rights of Punjabis. History demonstrates that Punjabis have never submitted to a dictatorship. Punjab will also not submit today. Punjab owns Chandigarh and will continue to do so,” he said on X. Any attempt by the central government to “snatch” Chandigarh will be confronted with two-pronged resistance, according to AAP leader and finance minister Harpal Cheema. The Punjab government would fight in court, and the AAP would fight resolutely from the streets to Parliament.

Warring: Don’t trust the BJP

Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the head of the Punjab Congress, disapproved with the Union government’s explanation.

The Center’s explanation, which states that the law will not be introduced during the winter session, is ambiguous. Is there any assurance that it won’t bring it up in the following session? He inquired.

“Instead of taking the opposite actions, the BJP should start the process to fully return Chandigarh to Punjab if it is truly sincere about Punjab and Punjabis,” he said.

Opposition Leader Partap Singh Bajwa claimed that the planned bill from the BJP-led Union Government is a calculated move to incite conflict in Punjab and set up the framework for enforcing governor’s rule in the state.

The BJP is aware that enacting this bill will lead to massive protests throughout Punjab. They intend to incite Punjab and then use the ensuing crisis as an excuse to consolidate control, which is precisely what they want,” he stated.

On November 24, SAD summons a core committee meeting.

Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) resolved on Sunday to call an urgent meeting of the core committee, the party’s highest decision-making body, on Monday in order to reach a consensus and choose how to fight the proposed Bill.

SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said, “Punjab people are expecting relief from the Central government on the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib, but the Center is proposing to bring an amendment in the constitution so that Punjab’s claim over Chandigarh as a capital city is usurped.” He went on to say, “We will fight any such amendment and devise a plan of action.”

Sukhbir Singh Badal, the party president, claimed that the Bill discriminated against courageous Punjabis and amounted to betrayal.

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“This amendment bill violates the principles of the federal structure and robs Punjab of its rights,” stated Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a former Union minister and SAD MP.

Jakhar wants to speak with Shah because Chandigarh is essential to Punjab.

The BJP’s Punjab branch stated on Sunday that it will meet with the national government, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on the Chandigarh issue and that it is firmly with the state in the face of criticism of the planned bill.

Sunil Jakhar, the head of the Punjab BJP, stated that he had already asked the home minister for a meeting time. Chandigarh is an essential component of the Punjab state. The administration would be consulted in order to clear up any misunderstandings about Chandigarh, Jakhar wrote on X.

Ashwani Sharma, the state working president for the BJP, claimed that the Central Government’s tweet made it quite evident that no bills pertaining to Chandigarh were being introduced during the winter session. He charged that the SAD, Congress, and the AAP administration were collaborating only for political ends and disseminating inaccurate and deceptive propaganda. He claimed that the climate of dread fostered by the opposition and the AAP government was only a political play.

He charged that in order to deflect criticism from the BJP’s shortcomings, the AAP government was fabricating false accusations against it. Sharma criticized the Congress and SAD, claiming that these problems (water, Chandigarh, and the relationship between the Center and the State) were caused by the mistakes these two very old parties had made over the years.