Chandigarh, Aug. 1: Amarinder Singh was almost made into a hero today for his stand on water-sharing, at a seminar that is being seen here as a “stage-managed show”.

The sobriquets — like “loh purush (iron man)” and “he-man” — came thick and fast at the meet organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Union even as the government tried to drum up support for the besieged chief minister on the occasion.

By annulling water-sharing agreements with neighbouring states, Amarinder has put his job on the line as the Congress high command has been critical of the move.

Some BKU leaders dubbed his piloting of the Punjab Termination of Agreement Bill a “historic act” for ensuring that the state’s waters stays with it. Some even demanded the Bharat Ratna for the chief minister.

Amarinder indirectly raised the bogey of terrorism, saying that the state’s history showed it had lost many lives after being forced into agreements.

“History cannot be forgotten. You want to bring it (days of terrorism) back in Punjab?” he asked and urged a “look at the history of Punjab and see what caused terrorism here”.

Singing the chief minister’s praises, Punjabi University vice-chancellor S.S. Boparai said he had come across only one “he-man” in his life.

State planning board vice-chairman S.S. Johl said: “Do not alight the tiger you are riding or you will be finished. Keep fighting. You have emerged a hero.”

Amarinder appeared to play to the gallery when he said: “I am fighting for the just cause of the Punjabis. We have no future without water. If we succumb to pressure, we will not be doing our duty towards our people.”