New Delhi, July 22: The President today referred to the Supreme Court the Punjab Assembly’s decision to annul water-sharing agreements with neighbouring states.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam referred the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act 2004 to the apex court under Article 143 of the Constitution, official sources said.

The Centre had on July 15 approached the Supreme Court for fresh directives on the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal following Punjab’s unilateral decision to scrap its river water-sharing agreements with neighbouring states.

The court had earlier asked the Centre to take up the construction of the Punjab portion of the canal that is to transfer “surplus” waters from Punjab to Haryana.

A Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs meeting last week reviewed the talks held with the chief ministers of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Though the chief ministers of Rajasthan and Haryana had said they were considering appealing to the Supreme Court, they had made no such move. Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh, however, said yesterday that his government would move the court.

Earlier today, former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today and sought his intervention.

“All the old water agreements which Punjab has with other states should be scrapped and either the Supreme Court or a new tribunal should decide who should be given how much water,” Akali Dal general secretary Sukhbir Badal said after the meeting.

“We are demanding justice for Punjab. Punjab does not have surplus water. And if our water is taken away, Punjab will become a desert,” he said.

The entire Opposition in Punjab supports chief minister Amarinder Singh in his position to annul the water-sharing agreements with neighbouring states.

“We supported the state government because it was in the interest of Punjab. Moreover, the present government in the state is toeing our line — something we had been pursuing for the last 15 years,” Badal said.

Last week’s Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs meeting had taken stock of the options before the Centre and Union water resources minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi is understood to have proposed a presidential reference. The Centre has also committed that it will take Parliament into confidence on its moves.

The BJP has demanded that the Prime Minister call an all-party meeting.