Jago Punjab slams Centre’s move to include Rajasthan, Himachal as permanent members of BBMB
Terms It Another Injustice to Punjab
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, October 14, 2025: Strongly opposing the Central Government’s reported plan to include Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh as permanent members of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), the Jago Punjab Party has termed the move as yet another “grave injustice” to Punjab, which it says has long suffered from systematic discrimination by the Centre.
In a sharp statement issued here, Jago Punjab Chairman Swarn Singh Boparai said that the Punjab Government must oppose this move at all levels, warning that amending Section 79(2) of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 to include Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh would be “unconstitutional and unjustified.”
“Rajasthan had no role in the reorganisation of Punjab. Hence, it cannot be made a part of this Act,” Boparai asserted, adding that the Centre’s reported attempt to amend the law amounts to eroding Punjab’s constitutional rights over its river waters and hydel resources.
He reminded that the Punjab Government has already filed a suit in the Supreme Court challenging Sections 78 and 79 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, and the matter remains sub judice. “The Centre should not proceed with any amendment while the case is pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” he said.
Boparai further highlighted that the Punjab Reorganisation Act initially created the Bhakra Management Board to oversee the Bhakra-Nangal Project, but subsequent amendments — including the 1974 expansion that brought the Beas Project under central control — already represented a substantial transfer of authority away from Punjab.
Calling the current proposal a case of “incremental federal erosion,” he said such steps continuously expand central control over Punjab’s natural resources, particularly its river waters and dams.
Urging the Supreme Court for an early hearing of Punjab’s pending case, Boparai said, “Sections 78 and 79 of the Reorganisation Act are heavily loaded against Punjab and must be revisited to restore the state’s rightful control over its resources.”
He concluded by warning that if implemented, this move would “further weaken Punjab’s federal rights and deepen the Centre-state imbalance.”