Why Chandigarh is equally an emotional wound for Haryanvis

When people talk about Chandigarh being Punjab’s “crowning glory”, they often forget that the city’s story is incomplete without the equally emotional and painful history of Haryana — a state carved out after decades of linguistic conflict, political bargaining, and administrative neglect.

For Haryanvis, especially families from Ambala, Karnal, Rohtak, Hisar, and South Haryana, Chandigarh was not merely a city; it was imagined as their capital too, the administrative nerve centre of a new and hopeful state. But when Haryana finally became an independent state in 1966, it emerged with:

• No capital of its own
• Lost villages absorbed into the UT
• A shared city that never truly belonged to it

And this created a deep, rarely discussed emotional wound.

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1. Chandigarh Was Built Using Resources of the Undivided Punjab

Between 1948 and 1966, Chandigarh was financed, staffed, and administered by the entire Punjab, not just the present-day state of Punjab. This means:

• Taxes from districts like Ambala, Karnal, Rohtak, Hisar, Gurgaon, and Jind contributed to Chandigarh’s construction.
• The land acquisition, administrative machinery, and workforce included people from what is now Haryana.
• More than one-third of the early employees, laborers, and officers came from the Haryana side of the old Punjab.
• Same dialect continuum (Bangru, Haryanvi, Bagri, Ahirwati)
• Shared agricultural patterns
• Shared markets and trade routes
• Shared cultural identities

After Partition, Punjab was reorganized, and this southern belt eventually became Haryana.

But when Chandigarh was being conceived, it was designed for the undivided Punjab, of which Haryana was also a full stakeholder. The taxes, resources, workforce, and administrative machinery that aided Chandigarh’s birth came from the entire pre-1966 Punjab, including areas that form Haryana today.

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To say that “Punjab built Chandigarh alone” is historically incomplete.

2. Lost Villages of Ambala: Heaviest Physical Price

When Chandigarh was created, around 30+ villages from the Ambala district and surrounding region were acquired and absorbed into what is today the UT of Chandigarh. The land on which Chandigarh stands today was carved out of:

• Ambala district
• Kharar region
• Villages that historically belonged to the Haryana cultural belt

Families from these villages:

• Lost ancestral land
• Lost agricultural livelihoods
• Were displaced without emotional or cultural recognition
• Saw their communities erased from the map

For these families, Chandigarh is not just a capital—they paid for it with their land.

Even today, older Haryanvis say:

“Chandigarh Mhara Hai — kyunki hamari zameen pe basa hai.”
(Chandigarh is ours—because it stands on our land.)

3. 1966: A New State Without a Capital

When Haryana was carved out on linguistic lines:

• Punjab kept its emotional dream capital
• Haryana was supposed to share it temporarily
• And later be given its own capital region

But no permanent solution ever arrived.

Instead:

• Haryana’s Assembly sits in a borrowed building
• Haryana’s Secretariat sits beside Punjab’s Secretariat
• Haryana’s CM House stands in a city that isn’t theirs

This created a long-term psychological message:

4. Legally, Haryana Has Equal Administrative Stake

Since 1966:

• Chandigarh is a Union Territory
• Administered by the Centre
• Shared by two states, not one
• With equal rights to land, buildings, institutions, and offices

Both states contribute officers, employees, and administration.

Punjab cannot claim exclusive ownership over a UT that was intentionally kept separate from both states to ensure fairness.

5. Emotional Narratives Favoured Punjab — But Haryana’s Story Was Never Told

Punjab built a strong emotional narrative:

• “Crowning glory of Punjab”
• “CHD as balm after Partition”
• “Nehru’s gift to Punjabis”

But Haryana’s narrative was left in silence.

No politician told the story of:

• The lost villages
• The displaced families
• The workers who built the city
• The state left without a capital
• The identity crisis of a new Haryana

This silence has created the false impression that Haryana has no emotional or historical stake.

In reality, Haryana’s stake is as old as Punjab’s itself.

6. Chandigarh Was Also Haryana’s Dream Capital — Until It Was Taken Away

When the state was formed, Haryanvis believed:

• Their capital would remain Chd
• They would receive rightful administrative space
• The Centre would ensure equal justice

Instead, Haryana was given a “shared chair” in a capital it helped build.

For a new state trying to craft its identity, this was a deep psychological blow.

Haryana became:

Independent, but incomplete.

7. Even Demographically, Chandigarh Grew With Haryana

From Panchkula to Ambala, to families who work, travel, study, and live in चंडीगढ़ daily:

• Haryana’s cultural and economic influence on the city is massive
• Lakhs of Haryanvis commute to चंडीगढ़ every day
• Chandigarh’s labour force, traders, and employees have always been partly Haryanvi

The city breathes Haryana as much as Punjab.

In Simple Words:

Punjab says — “ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹ is our balm.”
Haryana says — “चंडीगढ़ is our unfinished story.”**

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