CHANDIGARH, November 22: Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has announced that his party will resist the Union government’s reported plan to alter Chandigarh’s status through the proposed 131st Constitutional amendment, warning that any such move could provoke unrest in the state.
Stating that the proposal was “totally uncalled for,” he said the Centre should avoid triggering a fresh confrontation with Punjab. “Chandigarh belongs to Punjab and any attempt to snatch it away will have serious repercussions,” Warring said, indicating that the consequences of such legislation would not be easy to manage.
Warring said he remained hopeful that the Centre would not go ahead with the legislation and would instead revisit the contentious provisions. He added that the Congress would mobilise support in Parliament to block the amendment. “We will strongly oppose this legislation and will speak with like-minded parties to ensure it is not passed,” he said.
He directly challenged the state leadership of the BJP to state where they stand on the matter. “Whether you are with Punjab or against Punjab will be determined by the position you take today,” he said, accusing BJP leaders in Punjab of remaining silent while the proposed bill is being drafted.
Calling the moment urgent, Warring appealed to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to intervene immediately with the Central government. He argued that an early political pushback would prevent escalation, saying the government must “nip the proposal in the bud”.
He said his apprehensions were strengthened by the Union Education Ministry’s recent, but subsequently withdrawn, order abolishing the Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University. According to him, the order showed a pattern of unilateral actions that created “resentment and resistance” in Punjab.
Warring asserted that commitments given by successive Union governments have repeatedly recognised Chandigarh as belonging entirely to Punjab. He said historic assurances demonstrate that delays in the transfer of Chandigarh have not diminished the state’s claim. The Centre, he said, “must abandon this proposal immediately before the situation becomes too difficult to handle.”
