Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday started the party’s ‘Make India number one’ campaign from Haryana’s Hisar, even as Mr. Kejriwal appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to find a solution to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal — the focal point of a water-sharing dispute between Punjab and Haryana — triggering a sharp reaction from political parties in Punjab.
“We want to make India number one in the world. It has been 75 years since India got Independence, but we are still not able to give quality education to our children. Also, we could not provide good health facilities to the people of our country. Without these facilities, the country cannot become number one. To make India the number one country, we have to give excellent and free education to our children,” Mr. Kejriwal said at a press conference in Hisar. He said he would travel across the country and connect every citizen on the campaign.
Replying to a question on the AAP’s stand on the emotive issue of the SYL canal, Mr. Kejriwal said, “What’s the stand of the Congress and the BJP in Punjab and Haryana? In Punjab, they say we will not let the SYL canal be constructed. In Haryana, they say we will take SYL waters at any cost. These people do dirty politics. There’s a shortage of water in both States… It’s the duty of the Centre to ensure water for Punjab and Haryana. The Centre’s role is not to make Punjab and Haryana fight. This way the country will not move forward.”
