Chandigarh battle: Why did Centre backtrack from bringing Punjab & Haryana’s capital under its control?

Story truthful far: Beating a hasty retreat, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), connected Sunday (November 23, 2025), clarified that it has ‘no volition of introducing a Constitutional Amendment Bill to bring Chandigarh nether Article 240 of the Constitution’. On November 21, the Centre h,ad listed 10 bills including a Bill to enactment Chandigarh nether the Centre’s ambit and ‘ensure azygous attraction arsenic different national territories without legislature’.

The Bill would allow Centre to name an autarkic head successful Chandigarh, bringing the Union Territory directly nether Central control – like other UTs. Currently, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria acts arsenic Chandigarh’s administrator. 

The listing of the Bill had created uproar from not lone Opposition parties successful Punjab similar Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), but from Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Punjab portion itself.  

Punjab Congress leaders Pratap Singh Bajwa and Manish Tewari asserted that Chandigarh was meant to beryllium Punjab’s superior and immoderate attempts to snatch it distant would beryllium an unfastened onslaught connected Punjab’s rights. SAD main Sukhbir Singh Badal called the Bill a ‘betrayal on all commitments made to Punjab to manus implicit Chandigarh to it’, while AAP MP Malvinder Kang called upon each Punjab MPs to ‘unite and decision this Bill successful Parliament’. Caught unaware by Delhi, BJP Punjab main Sunil Jhakar assured that ‘Chandigarh is an integral portion of Punjab’ and rushed to conscionable Amit Shah to ‘resolve the confusion’. 

Within 2 days, the Centre rescinded the Bill and clarified ‘The proposal does not successful immoderate mode impact altering the governance and administrative arrangements of Chandigarh oregon the accepted relations of Chandigarh with Punjab oregon Haryana. An due decision will beryllium taken lone aft capable consultation with all stakeholders’. 

Amidst the renewed statement implicit Chandigarh’s presumption arsenic a Union Territory, here’s a look astatine the tussle implicit it

Chandigarh built aft Partition

In 1948, the partitioning of Punjab resulted successful the authorities losing its superior – Lahore, to Pakistan. After overmuch debate, the foundation for a caller capital located at the foothills of the Shivalik Himalayas, was laid by India’s archetypal Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, on April 2, 1952. Designed by a squad of European experts led by French architect M. Le Corbusier, the city was 1 of India’s archetypal to travel modern municipality readying standards with clear, equal-sized divisions for residential areas with its ain market, cinema, library, police and occurrence service. Linked by main roads, residential areas in Chandigarh fall successful antithetic sectors separated from the country lodging the Capitol, Town Hall, shopping centre, commercial centre, recreation centre, museums and the University. It was inaugurated by then-President Dr. Rajendra Prasad on October 7, 1953.

Chandigarh becomes associated capital

1953-1966: Chandigarh remained Punjab’s superior metropolis and operation of the High Court, the Secretariat and the Assembly buildings was completed. However, with the enactment of Haryana successful 1966, wherever Hindi-speaking areas of Hisar, Rohtak, Gurgaon, Karnal, Mahendragarh, Ambala, Jagadhri and Naraingarh were handed over to the caller authorities and Chandigarh was made a Union territory and a associated superior of Punjab and Haryana. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJP’s predecessor) opposed the reorganisation of Punjab terming it a “betrayal of nationalist confidence”. 

1970: In look of threats of self-immolation by Akali Dal person Sant Fateh Singh, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi promised to manus over entire Chandigarh to Punjab. In exchange, Haryana volition be given the Hindi-speaking country of Fazilka including the famous Abohar market. As this area did not borderline Haryana, a 6.43 km-long corridor would beryllium constructed to entree it, declared Ms. Gandhi. With the assistance of Centre’s aid, Haryana was to physique a caller superior and permission Chandigarh by 1975. This grant was ne'er implemented and adjacent Punjab urged Centre to reconsider handing over Fazilka to Haryana.

1985: Years later, taking different stab at the Chandigarh issue, then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi signed the Rajiv-Longowal accord on July 25. The 11-point solution awarded Chandigarh to Punjab and Haryana was to beryllium compensated by the transportation of the Hindi-speaking areas of Punjab. A committee was to beryllium acceptable up to demarcate these areas by December 31, 1985 and the 2 transfers was to be effected on January 26 adjacent year. It besides promised to acceptable up a commission to examine the remaining territorial claims and counter-claims of Punjab and Haryana. Though it was not specified, the aboriginal of Abohar and Fazilka. which nether Mrs. Gandhi’s grant of 1970 were to beryllium included successful Haryana, too, would beryllium settled by this commission.

This solution was besides ne'er implemented amid Opposition from Haryana and different governmental parties. The signatory of the accord - Akali Dal main Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, who had besides allowed sharing of rivers Sutlej and Beas’ waters with Haryana, was murdered on with the main technologist of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal. The stream dispute still remains with the task stalled.

Recent incidents

2005: Haryana asserted its assertion connected Chandigarh demanding a abstracted High Court for Haryana via a resolution. It urged the Centre to suitably amend the Punjab Reorganisation Act. As of date, nary specified changes person been made. 

2022: MHA notified rules aligning the work conditions of each employees of Chandigarh with the Central Civil Services. About 60% of employees are from Punjab and 40% are from Haryana, successful Chandigarh’s civilian services. The determination was welcomed by the employees arsenic it meant amended benefits and salaries. 

In response, the Punjab Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to immediately transfer national territory of Chandigarh — the associated superior of Punjab and Haryana, to Punjab. Countering it, Haryana passed a solution to retain its close to the 2 States’ associated superior territory of Chandigarh. Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation passed a resolution to stay arsenic a Union Territory. 

2024: Haryana authorities had offered 12 acres of onshore successful Panchkula successful speech for 10 acres of onshore adjacent IT Park Road successful Chandigarh to conception its caller Assembly building. Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change had reportedly granted environmental clearance for the onshore offered by Haryana. 

Outraged, all large parties successful Punjab – Congress, BJP and adjacent AAP, opposed the determination urging the Punjab Governor to not let the project, asserting that Chandigarh belonged to Punjab. In February this year, the Chandigarh medication rejected the onshore swap stating that the spot offered by Haryana was not upto the UT’s municipality gathering standards. It claimed that the Panchkula land ‘lacked due access, had a natural drain (nullah) moving done it and was successful a low-lying area’ while the IT Road onshore was a premier spot valued astatine around ₹640 crore.

The Centre’s backtracking of its caller determination to resoluteness the Chandigarh conundrum shows lack of governmental volition to settee it and that the tussle for the associated superior is apt to diagnostic successful the 2027 electoral run for Punjab.

(With Inputs from The Hindu Archives)