The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) on Wednesday threatened to launch a Jail Bharo (fill the jails) movement if the construction work of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal is not started before May 2018.

While addressing the ‘Kisan Adhikar Rally’ in Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, leader of Opposition and INLD leader, Abhay Singh Chautala said the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana has not yet understood the intricacies of court decision on SYL while the Supreme Court has given verdict in favor of the state.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not even give time to the Chief Minister, ManoharLalKhattar, to discuss on this important issue in such a long time, which clearly shows that what kind of efforts the state and central government are making to bring the water of the SYL. This also becomes clear that BJP government will not take any concrete steps in this issue in future.

Therefore, being the main opposition party of Haryana, INLD shouldered its responsibility and struggled in four different stages and this struggle will now be final, he added.

He said that Dadupur-Nalvi Canal project, which was to be very useful for the recharging ground water table in the state, was canceled by the government only because the government did not see any profits from that scheme. But in doing so, the BJP government forgot that the objective of this project was not only to use additional water of Yamuna for irrigation in the rainy season.

Chautala said this canal is also effective for recharging depleting groundwater besides irrigate 2.25 lakh acres of land in Yamunanagar, Ambala and Kurukshetra districts. Significantly, Ambala and Kurukshetra are going to be dark zone in terms of groundwater level.

If this situation continues, the way Southern Haryana has been declared in dark zone, the remaining Haryana will also become in dark zone and the fertile land here will become barren.

Chautala said INLD’s struggle was to save Haryana from this situation and whatever sacrifice it is to be given will be given till the government understood the seriousness of this matter and restored Dadupur-Nalvi Canal.

The leader of Opposition once again reiterated its election promises and said that all the loans of farmers will be waived after the INLD government takes reign of the administration in the state. Jobs would be provided in every house.

He also announced that after becoming INLD government, unemployment allowance would be increased to Rs 15000 per month.