Failure of AAP and Central governments cause flood devastation in Punjab: Bhupesh Baghel

Chandigarh, Sep 6 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday blamed the Central and state governments for the devastating floods in Punjab this year. He said the state was facing the consequences of their failure.

Baghel, who is Congress' Punjab in-charge, visited the flood-hit areas in Amritsar and distributed truckloads of relief material.

He was accompanied by Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and other party leaders.

Speaking to reporters, Baghel accused the state authorities of not furnishing any information on crop damage, and loss of human lives and livestock, and not providing relief material in the flood-hit areas.

"How can the state and Central governments be so insensitive? There is no tweet from the Prime Minister about the flood-affected areas. People of Punjab have been left to fend for themselves," he claimed, adding that Congress MLAs, MPs and workers were engaged in delivering relief material to the affected people.

Meanwhile, Charanjit Singh Channi took a swipe at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, saying that it was "sick and hospitalised." "It is not just the chief minister who is sick, the AAP and its government have also fallen sick and are hospitalised," he said.

Channi also claimed that the Punjab government postponed its cabinet meeting on the floods because of an "internal rift".

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was hospitalised on Friday evening after he complained of exhaustion and low heart rate. The meeting of the Punjab cabinet, which was to be chaired by Mann, was postponed after Mann fell ill.

In Tarn Taran, Baghel said it was a "man-made disaster" that led to large-scale devastation across the state and timely action could have prevented it.

Stating that Punjab has been "badly devastated" by floods, he reiterated his party's demand for a comprehensive and substantial flood relief package for the state.

Baghel also regretted the delay on part of the Central government in providing interim relief for the flood-hit people.

Admitting that this was no time to "play politics" on floods, he said nevertheless the state government cannot escape the responsibility of not taking precautionary measures well in advance.

There has been a "complete failure" on part of the administration to visualise the situation despite the forecast of an above normal monsoon this year, he said.

"We were already neck deep in water and the state government was caught napping," Baghel said, adding that it woke up to the problem "quite late when everything had literally been washed away." The senior Congress leader regretted that both the state and Central governments still seem to be "indifferent" towards the plight of people.

He questioned the unusual delay in announcing an immediate relief package. While a comprehensive package may take time, the Centre should have provided an interim relief for flood victims, he said.

Baghel, who is on a two-day visit to Punjab to assess the flood situation and review relief efforts by party workers, visited Dhunda (Khadoor Sahib), Gatta Badshah (Zira), Nihal Lavera (Ferozepur), Naubram Sher Singh Jaba (Guruharsahai), Walle Shah Uttar and Noorshah (Fazilka), Rukne Wala and Dutti Wala Bandh (Zira).

On Sunday, he will visit Ghonewal (Ajnala), Dharamkot Randhawa and the Dera Baba Nanak Corridor in Gurdaspur district. PTI CHS RUK RUK