A new proposal by the Union government for including Chandigarh under Article 240 has raised concerns in the Union territory and the government of Punjab. The addition will give powers to the President to appoint a Lieutenant Governor for Chandigarh, which is presently under the administration of the Punjab governor.
The AAP and Congress party have stated that this proposal is unfair as it will reduce Punjab’s control over its own Capital. The said proposal will be introduced as the 131st Amendment bill in the winter session of the parliament, set to start from December 1st. Bhagwant Mann took to X to show his opposition to the bill. He wrote that the bill proposed to be stated during the upcoming session is against the interests of the Punjab government.
The post further read that the union territory of Chandigarh is made from villages that were an integral part of Punjab, and hence, it belongs to the people of the state. He further added that the Punjab government will not let the rights on the union territory slip easily, and will fight for the right thing.
Opposition leader Pratap Singh Bajwa also issued a call for all parties to unite against the proposal. He said that the constitutional amendment aims to dilute Punjab’s right over its capital by weakening its historical and constitutional claims over it. Bajwa went on to say that it was an “assault on Punjab”, like the earlier cases where the government was trying to control the river waters and the Punjab University.
He asked the parties in Punjab to unite and rise above party politics to form a united front against the government’s proposal. The Congress President in Punjab, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, asked the Home Minister to clarify the situation over the bill and also warned that it might dilute Punjab’s right over the capital, by giving more power of administration to the centre.
Sukhbir Singh Badal, the leader of Shiromani Akali Dal, also asked the government not to introduce the bill as it would mean not fulfilling the commitments made to Punjab with regard to Chandigarh.
