Chandigarh: A day after the Centre proposed bringing Chandigarh under Article 240 of the Constitution—which would empower the President to frame regulations and legislate directly for the Union Territory—the Ministry of Home Affairs clarified its position. An MHA statement Sunday said the proposal was made only to “simplify” the Centre’s law-making process for Chandigarh—the joint Capital of Punjab and Haryana.

All political parties in Punjab, barring the BJP, saw Saturday’s bulletin as an insidious attempt of the BJP-led Centre to “wrench away Chandigarh”. Warning of “unprecedented protests”, Punjab’s parties even started gearing up for an “appropriate response”.

As the issue snowballed, the MHA went into damage control mode. “A suitable decision will be taken only after adequate cons

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