The political atmosphere in Punjab has heated up significantly over the contentious issue of flood relief funds. The war of words between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensified on Wednesday, setting the stage for Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's scheduled visit to the state.
Accusations Fly Over Central Aid
The conflict ignited when Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu launched a sharp attack on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Bittu accused the CM of "blatantly lying" to the public by claiming that the Central Government had not released any financial assistance for flood relief. This accusation was a direct response to Mann's statements made in Gurdaspur, where he was distributing compensation cheques worth ₹377 crore to families affected by the floods.
Chief Minister Mann had reiterated that the state had suffered colossal losses estimated at around ₹13,500 crore due to the floods. He publicly demanded that the Union government immediately release the ₹1,600 crore interim relief package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the flood-affected areas of Punjab on September 9.
Chouhan's Visit and the Centre's Stance
Amid this political slugfest, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is set to visit Punjab on Thursday. His itinerary includes a review of rural development works, flood-relief measures, and the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in a village in Moga and later in Jalandhar.
Defending the Centre's position, Bittu cited Chouhan's previous visit to Ludhiana on October 14, where the Union Minister had clarified the central aid. Bittu stated that the Centre had already approved ₹1.60 lakh per family for the reconstruction of 36,703 houses damaged in the floods. This amount includes ₹1.20 lakh for house construction and ₹40,000 for toilet facilities under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
"The Centre has already released ₹587 crore for these 36,703 damaged houses," Bittu asserted, adding that all the funds being distributed by AAP ministers were, in fact, from the central government. He also provided a district-wise breakdown of damaged houses submitted by the state, highlighting 10,926 houses from Gurdaspur and thousands more from Amritsar, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Pathankot, and Tarn Taran.
A Spiral of Charges and Counter-Charges
The BJP's offensive was further amplified by state party working president Ashwani Sharma. Taking to social media platform X, Sharma challenged CM Mann to have the Chief Secretary officially write to the Centre stating that the ₹1,600 crore had not been received. "If the Chief Secretary does not send such a letter, your allegations stand exposed," he posted.
The AAP leadership swiftly counter-attacked. AAP Punjab general secretary Baltej Pannu retorted, "The one who has actually given money always has stronger evidence." He challenged the BJP to present concrete proof of the fund transfer and sarcastically reminded them of their unfulfilled national promises, like depositing ₹15 lakh in every citizen's account.
This political sparring is not new. It gained momentum after Prime Minister Modi's statement in September that a sum of ₹12,000 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) was already with the Punjab government and should be utilized for flood relief. The Punjab government, however, dismissed this as a misrepresentation of accounting procedures.
As Union Minister Chouhan arrives in Punjab, the debate over flood relief has become the central flashpoint in the state's politics, with both sides digging in their heels and leaving the affected citizens caught in the crossfire.
