Vij slams Haryana opposition bid to construct a separate assembly building

Following the opposition to Haryana’s bid to construct a separate Vidhan Sabha building in Chandigarh by parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij has lashed out at the state’s leaders. Vij said that leaders from Punjab continue to oppose Haryana “in every matter”.
A delegation of the Congress’ Punjab unit had on Thursday met Governor Banwarilal Purohit—who is also the administrator of Chandigarh—and opposed the proposed move to allot land to Haryana in the Union territory for setting up its own state Legislative Assembly building.
In reaction to this, the Haryana Home Minister said, “The way Pakistan’s leaders cannot do their politics without opposing India, the same way, a mindset is emerging in Punjab where Haryana has to be opposed in every matter. These leaders will be acceptable to the public only when they oppose Haryana at some point or the other.”
Speaking to reporters in the Union Territory on Thursday, Vij said that Punjab’s opposition to the Assembly building is not justified. “We have applied for our land. Keeping all issues in mind, this land matter is under consideration (by the UT Administration).” The Chandigarh administration had recently received a detailed proposal from the Haryana government on a land swap for setting up the Assembly building and it is under consideration, officials had said earlier.
In lieu of the 10-acre land sought by Haryana for the construction of an additional Assembly building in Chandigarh, the state has offered Punjab a 12-acre site in Haryana’s Panchkula. At present, Punjab and Haryana share the Vidhan Sabha complex which is next to the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. Haryana has maintained that there is a space constraint due to which the Vidhan Sabha and its committees are unable to function properly. Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, has accused the Centre of deliberately making attempts to “undermine” Punjab’s claim over Chandigarh. He said it is the duty of the governor to safeguard the rights of Punjab.
In the 2023-24 budget, the Haryana government had proposed an allocation of Rs 50 crore for the construction of a separate Vidhan Sabha building in Chandigarh. The move had evoked sharp reactions from various political parties in Punjab, as several leaders said they would never allow it to happen as Chandigarh “belongs to Punjab only”.