Chandigarh, May 3 -- All major political parties in Punjab on Friday signalled unity on the water-sharing row stoked by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), unanimously declaring that any attempt to allocate additional water to Haryana would be firmly opposed. Representatives of seven recognised political parties, who assembled in Chandigarh for an all-party meeting convened by chief minister Bhagwant Mann amid escalating tension between the two states, took a united stand that Punjab does not have surplus water to share with anyone, and not a single drop of additional water will be given to Haryana from the Bhakra Dam. They also addressed a joint press conference after the meeting where Mann said that the decision to release more water to Haryana was being thrust on Punjab, but all parties were together on the issue of safeguarding the state's waters. During the meeting that lasted nearly two hours, all parties, including the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Aam Aadmi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India and CPI(M), made their suggestions and expressed support for the state government in determining the next course of action to "protect" the interests of Punjab on this issue. While the state government has convened a special session of the Punjab assembly on May 5 to discuss and pass a resolution on the water issue, it was suggested in the meeting that an all-party delegation could meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the current standoff. Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, who attended the meeting with former minister Manorajan Kalia, suggested that the representatives should meet the PM or Union home minister Amit Shah and seek their intervention to resolve this matter through negotiation. "This was a routine matter which could have been sorted out through talks. I have records for 23 years, which show that states have been overdrawing water during the depletion period. These decisions were taken through discussions. Haryana was asking for 8,500 cusecs of water from the Bhakra for eight days. Both sides just needed to talk and find a solution. Isko rai ka pahad bana diya (Made a mountain out of a molehill)," said Jakhar later, suggesting that the matter was needlessly blown out of proportion through improper handling. He criticised the manner in which the BBMB transferred officials and the Punjab authorities deployed policemen and put up their lock at Bhakra headworks from where the water supply is regulated, stating this was a wrong way of dealing with serious matters in a democracy. Mann and Punjab AAP president Aman Arora expressed willingness to seek time from the Prime Minister after the special session of the state assembly. "Jakhar has been requested to get us time from the PM," Arora said. He also said there was consensus that any attempt to give water to Haryana would be opposed tooth and nail. SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema, who attended the meeting along with senior party colleague Balwinder Singh Bhundar, said that all issues related to Punjab's rights, including river waters, transfer of Chandigarh, criteria for the appointment of BBMB chairman, scrapping the Dam Safety Act 2021, BSF's jurisdiction up to 50 km inside the international borders, etc. should be taken up with the Prime Minister. "The BBMB's attempt to release water to Haryana by ignoring Punjab's objections is an attack on federalism. We have given our suggestions. The chief minister will decide the next course of action," he said. In the meeting, both Mann and Jakhar said they needed to first deal with the current issue (BBMB row) and the legacy issues could be taken up subsequently. Earlier, Mann told the media that all political parties, rising above politics and their party lines, resolved to protect every drop of water, which is the state's lifeline. He said that a special assembly session was convened on Monday and governor Gulab Chand Kataria had given his approval. "We will decide the next course of action in the session," he said. On BBMB's decision to release extra water to Haryana despite the Punjab government's objections, the CM stated that the decision was being forced on the state. "They exhausted their share of water. We are giving 4,000 cusecs of water to Haryana on humanitarian grounds, but they are now asking for more," he added. Former minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, former speaker Rana KP Singh of the Congress, BSP state chief Avtar Singh Karimpuri, CPI(M) Sukhwinder Singh Sekhon, and CPI secretary Bant Singh Brar were also among those who took part in the meeting. Punjab Congress leaders, Rana KP Singh and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, stated that they conveyed their party's complete and wholehearted support to the government to protect Punjab's waters in whatever way it deemed fit. "The party would stand with the government in dealing with the situation through legal and political means. The government should approach the Supreme Court and also seek time from the Prime Minister simultaneously," said the two leaders. The standoff erupted when Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini requested 8,500 cusecs of water from the Bhakra dam to meet drinking water requirements. However, the AAP government in Punjab refused to release extra water, stating that there was no surplus water to share with Haryana as the state had already drawn its share for the period. On Wednesday, the technical committee of BBMB decided to release additional water to Haryana as per its demand, ignoring the Punjab government's objections. The next day, the AAP government deployed policemen at the Nangal dam, situated downstream of the Bhakra dam in Rupnagar district and took control of the headworks. Later, SAD, in a statement, said the party would not tolerate the loot of the water resources of Punjab. SAD leaders, Cheema and Bhundar stressed the need to challenge the reconstitution of the BBMB by the central government. "The AAP should have challenged the reconstitution of the BBMB in court. Not doing so has resulted in the present injustice which has been meted out to Punjab," the leaders said. BJP leader and ex-MP Preneet Kaur also criticised the move to release additional water to Haryana. "It is a blatant violation of Punjab's rights. This unjustified consideration of releasing water could lead to an agricultural disaster in Punjab," she said....