Dr.(Prof) Kuldeep Singh’s Scholarly Work Narrates Historical Legacy and Legal Challenges to Water Disputes
By Dharminder Singh Rataul
The new book ‘Punjab River Waters Dispute in South Asia-Historical Legacies, Political Competition and Peasant Interest’, a scholarly work by Dr.(Prof) Kuldeep Singh, retired head of the Political Science Department at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, traces the contentious politics behind river waters dispute. The book narrates the historical background, changing political landscape and legal tangles of the everlasting row over waters.
A well-known voice over Punjab’s religio-political history and Central Asia, Dr.Kuldeep examines the Punjab river waters controversy in the larger South Asia concept. Through the historical narration, the writer digs out the various defining features of Punjab politics as the work studies the difficult situation relating to the waters at the intersectionality of Punjab, the rural Sikh peasantry, neighbouring Haryana and the Union government of India.
Published and printed by internationally acclaimed Routledge, the book takes the readers to the dispute dating back to 1947 and then to the constitutional provisions and other laws which govern the inter-state waters and allocation of waters in case of Punjab. How the dispute has shaped the politics and real-politic behind the controversies and changing positions by various political parties are other highlights of the book.
The author investigates the impact of the dispute on rural landscape and farming community and how the emerging situation reaches to the point where the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal will not be allowed to be constructed. The writer who had edited Punjab Journal of Politics for long and have worked extensively on Sikh ethno-nationalism and the fall of Punjab militancy delves deep into how the constitutional provisions, state and national political manoeuvring has shaped the issue to become one of the most knotty dispute in South Asia today.
He also highlights the issue in the broader perspective of federalism and regional aspirations. The twisting and trivialization of riparian laws, favouring of Rajasthan over Punjab, notifications of Indira Gandhi government in 1976 and later The Akali Dal’s vehement opposition to the decision which was declared as motivated and contrary to Punjab’s interests, has determined the politics of Punjab in the last 50 years. The Akalis consolidated Sikh peasantry over the issue even though Congress was initially favourable to such a decision which resulted in Akalis launching Nehar Roko Morcha and later escalating the movement into Dharam Yudh Morcha.
The book narrates how the issue turned emotive and led to almost all the events in the past 50 years revolving around this including rising of the radical ideology in the state of Punjab when the issue has cropped up as a case of marginalization of the Sikhs in the state of India. The shifting stands of the various parties including the Congress, Akali Dal, now Aam Aadmi Party to the electoral benefits, the legal complications are well incorporated in the book. The analysis of Punjab Termination of Agreements Act (2004), its legal validity, legal battles in Supreme Court of India, Punjab’s identity politics and legislations of Akalis including Transfer of Property Bill (2016) are analysed in scholarly manner.
Finally the writer comprehensively highlights the need for scientific reassessment for solution of the water disputes, logical evaluation of water resources of Punjab, and primarily the environmental issues concerning the imbroglio are other focusing points of the scholarly work. He further highlights the ecological concerns, crop diversification which makes this historic book to be the rallying point of discussions and debates in the years to come.