Ruchika M Khanna
Chandigarh, April 2
The passing of a resolution in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Friday, demanding transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab is not the first such resolution.
This has been a highly emotive issue, and has found mention in each and every election in Punjab. In the Vidhan Sabha on Friday, many MLAs, including Budh Ram of the Aam Aadmi Party, pointed out how it was the villages of Punjab that were acquired to build the capital city. The Rajiv-Longowal accord of 1985 had also granted Chandigarh to Punjab.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, too, made his point that whenever a state is divided, the parent state gets the capital. He has assured that the resolution would not meet the same fate as six other similar resolutions. Aman Arora from the ruling party said that passing this resolution would be a watershed moment in Punjab politics, and it would be taken up united by all political parties who favoured Punjab and stood by its territorial claims.
The earlier six resolutions are as follows:
May 18, 1967: Non-official resolution moved by Acharya Prithvi Singh Azad sought inclusion of Chandigarh in Punjab. The resolution was carried.
January 19, 1970: Non-official resolution moved by Chaudhary Balbir Singh for transfer of Chandigarh, Bhakra and other Punjabi-speaking areas. The resolution was carried unanimously without any discussion.
September 7, 1978: Non-official resolution seeking merger of Chandigarh and other Punjabi-speaking areas with Punjab moved by Sukhdev Singh Dhillon. The resolution was passed unanimously.
October 31, 1985: Non-official resolution seeking transfer of Hindi-speaking areas to Haryana in lieu of Chandigarh, moved by Baldev Singh Mann. The resolution was passed.
March 6, 1986: Non-official resolution for implementation of the Rajiv Gandhi-Harchand Singh Longowal accord, moved by Om Prakash Gupta. The resolution was passed unanimously.
December 23, 2014: Non-official resolution for transfer of Chandigarh and other Punjabi-speaking areas to Punjab, by Iqbal Singh Jhundan. The resolution was carried.
Resolution in Punjab Vidhan Sabha demanding transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab not the first such move
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