Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the allocation of 12 acres of land in Chandigarh to Haryana for constructing a Legislative Assembly, BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia has urged Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to intervene. Kalia's letter, sent on Friday, stating the need to protect Punjab’s interests and adhere to Constitutional propriety in addressing the issue.

This comes a day after BJP Punjab Chief Sunil Jakhar appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reverse the decision, which recently received environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.

In his letter, Kalia expressed concerns over the clearance, stating, “The environmental clearance of the 12 acres of UT land by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India has raised many eyebrows in Punjab. The Governor of Punjab must act strictly according to Constitutional propriety to protect the interest, assets and faith of Punjab.”

Elaborating further, Kalia outlined the historical and legal significance of Chandigarh in the Punjab-Haryana equation. He reminded the Governor of his dual responsibilities as the Constitutional head of Punjab and the Administrator of Chandigarh, pointing to the 1970 decision by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. “Its genesis stands rooted in the award dated January 29, 1970, by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in which she declared that Chandigarh would become a permanent part of Punjab as its capital, and that Haryana would be granted Rs 10 crore to build its new capital,” Kalia wrote.

Highlighting the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966, Kalia added, “The Punjab Reorganisation Act was passed by the Indian Parliament on September 18, 1966, separating a territory from Punjab, most of which formed Haryana. Some of it was transferred to Himachal Pradesh, then a union territory, while Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab, was made a temporary UT to serve as the provisional capital of both Punjab, the parent state, and Haryana.”

He argued that Punjab was an exception to the linguistic reorganisation of states post-Independence. “It is an accepted principle that capital goes to the parent state when a state is divided on linguistic basis. The dictum had been meticulously followed when the states were divided on linguistic basis after Independence but the reorganisation of Punjab was an exception where two states—Punjab, the parent state, and Haryana—were made to share the capital of undivided Punjab in 60:40 ratio in the newly carved UT called Chandigarh,” Kalia stated.

Kalia also warned of renewed agitation over the matter, asserting, “The said decision has reverberated another agitation demanding Chandigarh to be the sole capital of Punjab by all Punjabis. The Governor of Punjab, being the Constitutional head of the state, is the protectorate of interest and assets of the state. The hard-earned peace of Punjab rests upon the delicate structure of faith. Every care should be taken to maintain its delicate balance.”

While Kalia reiterated his commitment to Punjab’s interests, he clarified that his stance does not oppose the BJP, which supported the environmental clearance for the project. The debate over Chandigarh’s status continues to evoke strong sentiments across political and regional lines, highlighting its complex legacy and importance in Punjab’s history.