Even as the BJP-led Union government made it clear that it has no intention of introducing a constitutional amendment Bill to bring Chandigarh under Article 240 of the Constitution in the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament, the political parties cornered the Bhartiya Janata Party.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring rejected the Union government’s clarification, calling it vague since it only rules out introducing the Bill in the Winter Session. “What is the guarantee that it will not bring it in the next session?” he asked.
He added, “What was the need to propose an amendment at the first instance. If the BJP is really sincere about Punjab and Punjabis, it should initiate the measures to hand over Chandigarh completely back to Punjab instead of taking contrary steps.”
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Lok Sabha MP, Malvinder Kang demanded that the BJP-led government declare Chandigarh as the rightful capital of Punjab. “There can’t be a more appropriate moment for the BJP to clearly and finally declare Chandigarh as the rightful capital of Punjab,” he said in a post on X.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) vice president and former MLA Ravinder Singh Brahmpura in a statement termed the Union Home Ministry’s latest clarification regarding the Chandigarh Bill as a “preliminary victory of Punjab’s unity but a looming warning bell.”
