Sukhbir Badal urges Centre not to table 131st Amendment bill, calls moe a ‘Betrayal of Punjab’
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, November 22, 2025 — Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today urged the Union government not to introduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, warning that the move would amount to “betraying and discriminating against brave Punjabis” and reneging on long-standing commitments to transfer Chandigarh to Punjab.
In a strongly worded statement, Badal said the proposed Bill aims to permanently remove the Union Territory from Punjab’s political and administrative domain. “It seeks to end Punjab’s claim to Chandigarh as its capital city,” he asserted.
Calling the legislation an attack on Punjab’s constitutional and historical rights, Badal stated, “This is against federalism and amounts to discriminating against Punjabis who have been at the forefront of the freedom struggle, defending the nation’s borders, and leading the Green Revolution that ensured India’s food security.”
He further noted that the Centre had already committed to transferring Chandigarh to Punjab. “The Union government accepted this in principle in 1970. Later, the Rajiv–Longowal Accord set January 1986 as the deadline for the transfer. Parliament ratified the accord, but it was never implemented,” he said.
Badal added that over the years, the Centre had diluted Punjab’s claim on Chandigarh by disregarding the 60:40 employee posting ratio between Punjab and Haryana, appointing UT (AGMUT) cadre officers to key positions, and gradually reducing Punjab’s influence over Panjab University.
Expressing strong resentment, he said Punjabis felt “betrayed and discriminated” by these actions. “Punjabis are agitated that the Centre is ignoring Punjab’s rightful claim over its capital city and is instead pushing a system that places Chandigarh solely under Union administration,” he added.