The long-standing dispute over the Satluj Yamuna Link canal between Punjab and Haryana is back in limelight after the release of the deceased Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s song ‘SYL’. In the controversial song, which has been blocked by YouTube in India now, Moosewala talked about ‘sovereignty’ for Punjab and talked about the return of Khalistani terrorist Jattana. Now in response to the song, Haryanvi singer Masoom Sharma has released his own version of SYL.
In the song that can be heard here, Masoom Sharma has mentioned how the water from SYL canal is a right of the people of Haryana as per the agreement during the creation of the state of Haryana in 1966. Responding to Moosewala’s lyrics that they will not give even a drop of water, Sharma goes on to say in the song that Haryana will not take any drop, but 50% of the water as per the agreements.
Mirroring the concept used in Moosewala’s song showing various imagery in the video of the song, Sharma shares photographs of SYL agreement signed between the states for water-sharing, and also the Supreme Court judgment that said Punjab can not make laws related to SYL on its own. The video also starts with visuals from protests against farm laws last year when Haryana farmers stepped up to help protestors from Punjab.
The video has several visuals of the SYL part that has already been constructed in Haryana, and the images of dry parched land in Southern Haryana, which will get water for irrigation if SYL canal is completed. Sharma also mentions the patriotic nature of Haryanvis in the song, a sharp contrast to Moosewala who was asking for sovereignty for Punjab in his song.
Sharma ends his song by stating that they respect all religions, but when it comes to the right of Haryana, they will take what is their right as per the agreements.
What is SYL water dispute
The canal, once completed, will enable sharing of the water from rivers Beas and Ravi between the two states. Before Haryana was formed, undivided Punjab was given 7.20 MAF (Million-acre feet) out of the total 15.85 MAF water flowing down Ravi and Beas. Among other stakeholders, Rajasthan was allotted 8 MAF while Jammu and Kashmir got 0.65 MAF.
After the creation of Haryana, the center issued a notification allocating 3.5 MAF to Haryana out of the 7.2 MAF allotted to Punjab before the reorganisation. In a reassessment in 1981, the water flowing down Beas and Ravi was estimated at 17.17 MAF, out of which 4.22 MAF was allocated to Punjab, 3.5 MAF to Haryana, and 8.6 MAF to Rajasthan.
In 1982, PM Indira Gandhi launched the construction of SYL canal at Kapoori village in Patiala. However, Akalis started a protest movement against it by the name of Kapoori Morcha. In 1985, the then PM Rajiv Gandhi signed an agreement with Akali Dal chief Sant Harchand Singh Longowal for a new tribunal to assess the water. Shortly afterward, Longowal was killed by the terrorists in Punjab.
In 1990, the chief engineer working on the project ML Sekhri and a Superintending Engineer Avtar Singh Aulakh were killed by Balwinder Jattana (mentioned in Sidhu Moosewala’s song), and following that, the construction of the canal came to a halt.
