Jaipur, March 20 (IANS) The Rajasthan government on Friday rejected Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s demand for Rs 1.44 lakh crore in water royalties, calling it unconstitutional and legally baseless.

Punjab CM Mann had cited a 1920 agreement signed between the British government, the princely state of Bikaner, and Bahawalpur (now in Pakistan), and demanded that Rajasthan either clear its alleged dues or stop drawing water.

In response, Rajasthan’s Water Resources Minister Suresh Singh Rawat clarified that under the original agreement, charges were payable to the British government, not to the Punjab province.

“Three post-Independence agreements were reached in 1955, 1959, and 1981 regarding the use and distribution of water from the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers. None of these agreements include any provision for royalties or additional charges. Punjab’s demand is therefore factually unfounded and illegal,” the minister said.

Invoking Article 262 of the Constitution, Rawat asserted that inter-state river water is a national resource regulated by Parliament — not a commercial commodity subject to trade between states.

“For any single state to claim royalty over shared river water runs contrary to the Constitution and established legal principles,” he said, adding that the Rajasthan government remains fully committed to protecting the rights of its farmers.

Speaking on water allocation, Rawat noted that Rajasthan was allotted 8.00 MAF under the 1955 agreement and 8.60 MAF under the 1981 agreement — neither of which contains any royalty provision.

Rajasthan currently receives water through the Bikaner Canal, the Rajasthan Feeder, the Bhakra Main Line, and the Sirhind Feeder, all regulated by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) under the Government of India.

Following Rajasthan’s rejection, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced at a press conference in Chandigarh on Friday that his government would pursue the matter in court.

“Whatever they wish to convey, let them state it there,” he said.

Mann had earlier claimed that Rajasthan paid water royalties to Punjab until 1960 but stopped thereafter, with outstanding dues from 1960 to 2026 accumulating to Rs 1.44 lakh crore.

Water from Punjab flows to the desert regions of Rajasthan via the Indira Gandhi Canal.

–IANS

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