Badal claimed that Haryana had no right on the river waters flowing from Punjab. Moreover, he said Punjab already wanted more water and was not in a position to spare for any to Haryana.

The Punjab Chief Minister air-dashed here to bless the newly married son of Sukhdev Singh, president of Haryana Akali Dal (Badal) and was accompanied by his wife Surinder Kaur and Akali MP A.S. Bhundar.

Talking to mediapersons, Badal said Haryana had no claim over river waters constitutionally and also on the basis of conventions. He recalled that during his earlier tenure as Punjab chief minister, he had moved the Supreme Court for adjudication. However, the matter was dropped after his Congress successor Darbara Singh was made to withdraw the writ petition on the directions of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She had then given an award in favour of Haryana during the emergency days when he was in jail.

However, Badal said that later he had taken up the issue with the late Prime Minister Morarji Desai pleading that it was an emergency excess and should be reviewed.

He claimed that there was no surplus water for Haryana according to a survey conducted by the then state government when Lehri Singh was holding the portfolio prior to the formation of Haryana.

Replying to a question Badal also claimed that Chandigarh belonged to Punjab since the capital city always went with the state which was reorganised. He demanded that all Punjabi speaking areas should be given to Punjab to solve the territorial dispute. Similarly, the Chief Minister suggested that the Hindi speaking areas in Punjab should simultaneously be transferred from Punjab.

Badal said that the matter would be taken up with the union government at a proper time since at present the BJP-led alliance government was engaged in settling other issues and the Akali Dal was also a partner in the coalition government, at the Centre.