Punjab health minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra has said that if the Haryana government wants to set up a separate building for its Vidhan Sabha, it may do so in any part of Haryana but not in Chandigarh.
He claimed that Chandigarh always belonged to Punjab and will remain so, and the Haryana government will not be allowed to build an assembly building in Chandigarh.
Talking to media persons in Samana in Patiala district last evening, he said, "if Haryana wants to build its own assembly they may do so in Panchkula, Faridabad, or Kurukshetra but not in Chandigarh".
He was asked to comment on Union Home Minister Amit Shah who on Saturday announced land for setting up an additional building for Haryana Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh.
Notably, at present, the Punjab and Haryana governments share the Vidhan Sabha complex which is next to the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat in the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
However, the Punjab Minister said, "the entire assembly building also belongs to Punjab", and a part of the assembly building complex was given to Haryana "with a feeling of brotherhood".
Amit Shah's announcement had drawn a reaction from neighbouring Punjab with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann appealing to the Centre to allot land to Punjab in Chandigarh for setting up its own Vidhan Sabha building.
AdvertisementHowever, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had sharply reacted to Mr Mann's statement and said, "I am shocked that someone who calls himself the Chief Minister of Punjab can issue statements to give up Punjab's widely acknowledged and inalienable right on its capital, Chandigarh".
"The entire city belongs to Punjab and the Punjab CM is begging for a little space on our own land for Vidhan Sabha building. How can a Chief Minister of Punjab speak the language of Haryana on allotting land to Haryana?" Mr Badal had asked.
AdvertisementAlong similar lines, Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta had also said the construction of an additional building didn't mean the state would leave its claim of rightful share in the existing State Assembly building which also houses the Punjab assembly.
Haryana came into existence on November 1, 1966, and Chandigarh is the common capital of both states. The two states also have common buildings for the secretariat, Vidhan Sabha, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Advertisement(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
