Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday warned that “Punjab will burn” if the state is asked to share water with Haryana, PTI reported. Singh’s comments were in reference to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal, which is under construction for decades. 

He made the comments at a virtual meeting with his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. It was convened on the directions of the Supreme Court.

“I told them that after the division of Punjab in 1966, all assets of ours were shared on a 60:40 basis, except water, because they included the water of Ravi, Beas and Sutlej but not Yamuna,” Singh said, ANI reported.

“I have suggested that they should include the water of Yamuna also and then divide it on 60:40 basis,” he added.

In an emotive address, he linked the issue of river water sharing to that of national security.

“You have to look at the issue from the national security perspective,” he told Shekhawat, PTI reported.

“If you decide to go ahead with SYL, Punjab will burn and it will become a national problem, with Haryana and Rajasthan also suffering the impact,” he added.

Punjab has been reluctant to share water with Haryana and Rajasthan, saying it has nothing to spare.

He said Pakistan was continuing with attempts to foment trouble and was trying to revive the separatist movement through the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) organisation.

The water issue could further destabilise the state, he warned, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, the Haryana CM hoped for an amicable solution to the decades-old issue.

“We maintained our stand that the SYL should be constructed. The Supreme Court too has said that,” Khattar said after the meeting.

The two Chief Ministers will meet in Chandigarh, on a date to be fixed later. 

SYL has been a contentious issue between the two neighbouring states. Its construction began in 1982.

Punjab has been demanding a reassessment of the Ravi-Beas river waters’ volume while Haryana has been seeking completion of the SYL canal to get its share of 3.5 million acre feet (MAF).