Punjab-Haryana water row: CM Saini hits back at Mann, accuses him of twisting facts

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday hit back at his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of twisting facts, hours after the AAP leader rejected the BJP-ruled state's "demand for more water".

Mann has accused the BJP of exerting pressure on the Punjab government through the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to meet Haryana's demand and stated that the neighbouring state has already exhausted its water share in March.

Haryana CM Saini cited a letter dated April 27, which he wrote to Mann, and said that he was surprised that instead of responding to his letter, Man released a video and tried to mislead the people by disregarding the facts.

Saini stated that on April 26, he told Mann on the phone that the Punjab officials were showing reluctance in implementing the decision taken by BBMB's Technical Committee on April 23 to release water to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan.

That day, Saini, according to an official statement, said Mann had given him an assurance that the matter would be resolved by April 27 morning.

However, when nothing happened, Saini said he wrote the letter to Mann to look into the issue.

Saini urged Mann to ensure the immediate release of water to Haryana as per the decision of the Technical Committee.