Chandigarh : Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala was shedding crocodile tears over the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue and alleged that the INLD was responsible for delay in the project.

Talking to mediapersons at his residence, Hooda mocked the INLD’s “Jail Bharo Andolan” from Bhiwani on Tuesday and said when Abhay announced the last time that he would dig a canal at Shambhu border, he returned after digging a road on Haryana’s border with Punjab.

Referring to the Rajiv-Longowal Accord on inter-state disputes between Punjab and Haryana, Hooda said had Abhay’s grandfather Devi Lal not initiated his Nyaya Yudh (battle for justice) against the accord, the canal could have been constructed much earlier.

He claimed that 90 per cent of the canal was ready both in Punjab and Haryana territories when the INLD launched Nyaya Yudh and it was due to the party’s opposition that the project came to a standstill.

Claiming that people of Haryana would not trust the INLD this time, Hooda maintained that it was only because elections in the state were drawing closure that the INLD had taken up the SYL issue.

“The SYL issue has been resolved with the judgment of the Supreme Court, which clearly states that the Centre should get the canal constructed through its own agency. The order had come in 2002, but the Punjab Government abrogated the water agreement in 2004. As MP from Rohtak, I had met then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for intervention, after which the matter was sent to the Supreme Court as presidential reference. The presidential reference has been decided in favour of Haryana,” he said.

Hooda alleged that it was only because of lack of will on the part of the BJP government at the Centre and in the state that construction of the canal was getting delayed.

He said at a time when the BJP had governments at the Centre as well as in Haryana, nothing stopped it from implementing the SC verdict except lack of commitment to the issue.

Hooda said if the CM was ready to take the lead, he was willing to sit on dharna with him or court arrest with him on the canal issue.

The former Chief Minister hit out at Khattar government and alleged that no promise made before the elections had been kept by the BJP. Commenting on the INLD-BSP alliance, Hooda said it would not work as the former had allied with the BJP, the SAD and the BSP in the past, but dumped its alliance partners.