Chandigarh bill attempt by BJP to pave way for Governors Rule in Punjab, alleges LoP Bajwa

CHANDIGARH: Senior Congress leader and Punjab Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that the BJP-led Union Government is using the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill on Chandigarh as a deliberate tactic to provoke confrontation in Punjab and create conditions to impose Governors Rule in the state. Bajwa said the amendment, which seeks to place Chandigarh under Article 240, is not an administrative reform but a politically driven move to sever Chandigarh from Punjab permanently. He said Punjabis, who gave up land, homes, and entire villages to build Chandigarh after the loss of Lahore, will not tolerate any move that undermines their rightful claim over the city. The BJP knows that pushing this bill will trigger widespread protest across Punjab. That is exactly what they want to provoke Punjab and then use the resulting situation as a pretext to centralise power, he claimed. Calling it a calculated strategy, Bajwa said, This is a classic pattern of the BJP: manufacture tension, allow protests to escalate, and then weaponise the situation to justify Governors Rule. He said the amendment fits into a wider pattern of central overreach seen over the past ten years. From unilateral service rules for Chandigarh officers to interference in BBMB appointments, from meddling in the Punjab Agricultural University Bill to taking decisions on Punjabs river waters without the states consent, the Centre has repeatedly tried to dilute Punjabs powers. The Chandigarh amendment is the most blatant and provocative assault yet, Bajwa added. Bajwa said every major political party in Punjab has opposed the move, leaving only the BJP isolated. He demanded that the Central Government withdraw the Bill at once and urged the Chief Minister to convene an all-party meeting to present a united resistance. Punjab must speak with one voice. This is not a party issue this is about our constitutional rights and our historical claim, he said. Reaffirming the stance of the Congress, Bajwa said the party will block the bill in Parliament, challenge it on every available platform, and take the issue directly to the people. Punjab will protest this move peacefully, democratically, and with absolute determination. Chandigarh is our history, our identity, and our rightful capital and no government in Delhi can change that truth, he concluded. Meanwhile, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said only Punjab has the rightful claim to Chandigarh, a city built by displacing 24 villages of the state. He warned that any attempt by the BJP to take Chandigarh would face two-pronged resistance: a legal battle by the Punjab government and a determined struggle by the Aam Aadmi Party from the streets to the Parliament. He said this conspiracy is being hatched even as the Punjab government and people across the country are marking the 350th anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadurs martyrdom for religious freedom and national unity. Cheema cited a pattern of anti-Punjab actions by the BJP, starting with the three black farm laws intended to destroy the agricultural economy, followed by attempts to compromise state's interests through the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), the unpleasant bid to seize senate of Panjab University which could directly affect the working of about 200 colleges, and now the deceitful maneuver to snatch Chandigarh.