Jalandhar: Accusing Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal of undermining the federal structure of the country, Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday, November 11, said that the BJP-RSS would not have dared to interfere with the rights of Punjab had Badal not supported the Union government in reading down Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.Channi said that it was through SAD that the BJP-RSS managed to make inroads in Punjab, which he said was inimical to the interests of the state. “When the RSS and BJP revoked Article 370, not only did the Akalis side with the BJP, but Sukhbir Singh Badal spoke in favour of the move,” he said.Addressing the 16th session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, chief minister Channi, referring to information he obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act asked if Badal voted against the decision to read down Article 370 in parliament, when J&K’s rights were “stripped off”.“He did not. The BJP would not have dared to interfere in the rights of Punjab. They would not have dared to meddle with the rights of J&K had Sukhbir Badal not supported them. They felt that the entire Sikh community was with the SAD and they could loot, beat and break Punjab,” he added.The CM said that the SAD saw everything through the narrow prism of politics, even those issues that are important to Punjab such as the devolution of more powers to states; the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab; and the Anandpur Sahib resolution.These comments were made during a special assembly session that was called to pass a resolution against the Union government’s decision to extend the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) from 15 km to 50 km inside the India-Pakistan border. The move has been described by the Punjab government as going against the spirit of federalism enshrined in the constitution.Punjab’s deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa moved the resolution, which was passed later that day.Also read: High Drama as Punjab Assembly Passes Resolutions Against Centre’s BSF Move, Farm LawsCommenting on Channi’s statement emphasising the need for a strong federal structure, Raunki Ram, professor of political science at Panjab University in Chandigarh said that the way the Union government passed the three farm laws and then increased the BSF’s jurisdiction, without taking the Punjab government into confidence, was clearly against the federal structure of the country.“Even though Article 370’s context is different from that of the farm laws, the underlying concept is that states’ rights were being trampled upon. Punjab has, from time to time, been raising its voice for a strong federal structure because every state has its own rights and this statement is a hint that the federal structure was being undermined,” he said.The Wire also spoke to Adnan Ashraf Mir, J&K People’s Conference spokesperson, who said that he would take Channi’s statement with a pinch of salt because even the Congress leaders at the national level have maintained a stoic silence on the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.“The Congress had been supporting our demand of giving statehood to J&K but they remain mum over the issue of dilution of Article 370. In fact, it seems that all political parties have a consensus on this issue in terms of national security. It would be advisable [for] the Congress [to] maintain a uniform stance on Article 370. Rather, with such statements, the BJP would gain electorally, as elections are around the corner in many states, including Uttar Pradesh and this can further pose a problem for people in Kashmir, as Delhi and J&K’s relations would be impacted,” Mir said.People’s Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson Tahir Sayeed said, “When Article 370 was diluted, we had warned the regional parties that soon, your rights would also come under attack, but at that time everybody supported the move, citing the national security issue. It was the beginning of the attack on the federal structure of the country. Whether it is the issue of increasing the jurisdiction of the BSF in Punjab or the three controversial farm laws, the Union government is forcibly imposing its decisions and interfering with the state’s affairs. Agriculture is a state subject but the BJP went ahead with its decision without taking anybody into confidence, like they did in J&K. But still, if chief minister Channi has realised that the federal structure is under attack, I think it is a welcome move.”Also read: Did Inaction Against the Badals Lead to Amarinder Singh’s Unceremonious Exit?However, senior BJP leader and former minister Manoranjan Kalia from the Jalandhar Central assembly constituency said that by reading down Article 370, the BJP has ‘integrated’ J&K with India. “Channi’s statement on Article 370 in the Vidhan Sabha is against the country. Channi is not fit to remain the CM of Punjab and he should be dismissed. The Congress also passed a resolution rejecting the central government’s decision on extending the jurisdiction of the BSF from 15 to 50 km, which is absolutely unconstitutional,” Kalia claimed.Recently, farmers had cornered the Aam Admi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in Punjab’s Mansa district over his support for the decision to read down Article 370 in J&K, after which Kejriwal had left the meeting in a huff.Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal was grilled by farmers in Punjab on issue of article 370.A farmer asked him that why he supported revocation of article 370. Then he added that even new farm laws were brought by violating rights of states. pic.twitter.com/qQrN8XGD3E— Sandeep Singh (@PunYaab) October 29, 2021Now, SAD president Badal has come under attack on the same issue, as he recently promised to implement the long-pending Anandpur Sahib Resolution if the SAD and its alliance partner Nahujan Samaj Party (BSP) came to power.However, farmers in Punjab have been wary of such political statements, as they had been protesting against the three farm laws which too, they say, were forcibly imposed on them. Farmers maintain that the promise to implement the Anandpur Sahib resolution rings hollow if seen in the context of the SAD’s support to decisions that directly affect the rights of the states.