CM Mann lashes out at Opposition for politicising Punjab floods

Chandigarh, Sep 26 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday criticised the Opposition for politicising the recent floods that devastated the state, asserting that the people would never forgive "insensitive and opportunist" politicians for their "betrayal." Winding up the discussion on the first day of the special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha here, Mann expressed his disappointment that rather than offering support during the floods, experienced politicians have resorted to "spewing venom" against his government. He emphasised that these individuals are only concerned with their political interests, which he deemed unwarranted and undesirable.

Mann pointed out that while members of the ruling party worked diligently to assist flood-affected residents, some prominent leaders of the Opposition and even central ministers were only there for "photo-ops." In an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to Punjab, Mann noted that the Congress leader attempted to visit villages across the Ravi river despite the strong current, arguing with local officials at that moment.

"The border with Pakistan is just 800 metres away," said Mann while expressing dismay over Gandhi arguing with the local officers at that time.

On September 15, the Congress party accused the Gurdaspur district police of preventing Gandhi from meeting villagers affected by the floods. A video had also emerged in which Gandhi purportedly questioned senior police officials as to why he was not being allowed to go across the river.

Mann stated that the special session was intended to focus on the state's rehabilitation in the aftermath of the floods, but that the "myopic mindset" of certain leaders had turned it into a platform for criticism.

He alleged that the Centre remains "insensitive" to Punjab's problems during times of crisis, leaving the state to manage its challenges independently.

He urged all Punjabis to unite during this difficult time, stressing the importance of coming together to rebuild the state. Mann stated that he would not hesitate to protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence if necessary for Punjab's welfare.

"This is the time when all of us should join hands and sink our differences to steer Punjab and its people out of this grave crisis," he said.

Mann urged the Opposition to stop the blame game, clarifying that the floods were a natural disaster, not a man-made catastrophe, as alleged by them. He challenged them to explain how floods in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and other states were also orchestrated by the Punjab government, emphasising the need to refrain from political manoeuvring during such crises.

The chief minister further stated that the floods affected over 2,300 villages and impacted more than 2 million people, destroying crops across 500,000 acres of land.

In response to the Opposition's criticisms, Mann highlighted his government's efforts in desilting drains, indicating that while the previous Congress regime cleaned 2,066 kilometres of drains, his administration had managed to clean 3,825 kilometres in just three years.

He mentioned that his government has been requesting the Centre to carry out the desilting of the Bhakra and Pong dams, which had not occurred in the past 60 years. He noted that effective desilting of the Ghaggar River this year had prevented flooding, even during periods of heavy rainfall.

Addressing the meteorological department's weather forecasts, Mann claimed they were often "irrelevant and far from the truth." As an example, he mentioned that the prediction for August 17 was 9 mm of rain, whereas actual rainfall reached 185.5 mm — representing an increase of 1,961 per cent.

He explained that this disaster was significant, with the Pong dam receiving 60.4 per cent more water than in the 1988 floods, and the Bhakra dam witnessing a 2.65 per cent increase. Additionally, in the Ranjit Sagar dam, the water inflow was 65.3 per cent higher than the previous year, which exceeded all expectations.

Mann discussed the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), previously known as the calamity relief fund, stating that over the past 25 years, with the Akali-BJP coalition in power for 12 years and the Congress for 10 years, the state had received Rs 6,190 crore.

He dismissed claims that the state had Rs 12,000 crore as SDRF, labelling it a "figment of imagination" held by leaders seeking to criticise the government for their political benefit.

He criticised the prime minister's announcement of Rs 1,600 crore for Punjab during his visit, arguing that the amount was inadequate given the needs of the 2,305 affected villages, equating to just Rs 80 lakh per village. PTI CHS MPL MPL