Punjab erupts: Central govt’s bid to bring Chandigarh under Article 240 sparks fierce political storm

A fresh constitutional flashpoint has erupted between Punjab and the Union government after New Delhi proposed to bring the Union Territory of Chandigarh under the ambit of Article 240 — a move that would allow the President to issue regulations carrying the force of parliamentary law and potentially appoint an independent UT administrator.

Listed for introduction in the Winter Session of Parliament beginning December 1, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2025 aims to align Chandigarh with other Union territories without legislatures, including Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, and Puducherry when its Assembly is dissolved or suspended.

But the proposal has triggered an immediate and unprecedented political outcry across Punjab, with rivals united in warning that the move undermines the state’s historical claim to Chandigarh.

‘Conspiracy to snatch capital’, says Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called it a “grave injustice”, alleging that the BJP-led NDA government is “conspiring to snatch” Punjab’s capital through constitutional manoeuvring.

AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal echoed the accusation, saying the proposal “tears apart the federal structure” and attacks the identity of a state that has “always sacrificed for the nation’s security and food sustainability.”

“Chandigarh belongs to Punjab and will remain with Punjab,” Kejriwal declared, adding that AAP would block the Bill inside and outside Parliament.

Congress warns of ‘serious repercussions’

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring termed the proposal “totally uncalled-for” and said any attempt to “take away” Chandigarh from Punjab would have “serious repercussions.”

He vowed to oppose the Bill in Parliament, rally support among other parties, and pressed Punjab BJP leaders to break their silence. Warring urged the Mann government to hold urgent dialogue with the Centre to “nip the proposal in the bud.”

Akali Dal calls it an ‘assault on Punjab’s rights’

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal accused the Centre of reneging on commitments made decades ago to transfer Chandigarh to Punjab.

He reminded that the Union government agreed in principle to the transfer in 1970, and that the Rajiv–Longowal Accord fixed January 1986 as the deadline — a promise never fulfilled.
Badal warned that the amendment seeks to permanently sever Chandigarh from Punjab’s administrative authority and convened an emergency Core Committee meeting to plan resistance.

Global Punjabi diaspora joins protest

The backlash has spread beyond India. The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) criticised the Centre’s move as “legally questionable” and “deeply insensitive” to Punjab’s historic claim. Executive director Satnam Singh Chahal said the proposed amendment “undermines Punjab’s constitutional rights and collective memory.”

A dispute rooted in history and identity

Chandigarh has been administered by the Punjab governor since June 1, 1984, replacing a prior system where an independent chief secretary acted as administrator.
In 2016, the Centre attempted to restore the earlier structure by appointing former IAS officer K J Alphons, but the plan was withdrawn after united pushback from Punjab’s political parties.

Today, the outrage is once again unanimous. Across party lines, Punjab’s leadership maintains that Chandigarh is not just an administrative seat but the rightful and inseparable capital of Punjab — and has vowed to fight the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill “at every front.”