Chandigarh / Punjab, September 6, 2025 — As Punjab reels from its worst floods in nearly four decades, political controversy has intensified, with relief efforts entangled in partisan blame games.

Key Political Moves & Reactions:

  • Congress leaders, including Bhupesh Baghel and Gurjeet Singh Aujla, staged visible relief dispatches while criticizing government inaction, suggesting poor preparedness has compounded the crisis.

  • BJP, led by Tarun Chugh, lauded the Centre’s ₹11,000 crore allocation for disaster relief but shifted scrutiny onto the Punjab government’s failure to conduct mandatory damage assessments.

  • AAP, invoking state leadership, countered that relief distribution—including ration and medicines—is underway, with ministers standing firmly with affected communities.

    • Broader Context & Other Political Responses:

    • Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan blamed decades of illegal mining for weakening embankments, contributing to the flood’s severity.

  • Punjab’s Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal rebutted, citing unusually heavy rains and dam releases—rather than mining—as primary causes, and accused the BJP of politicizing the disaster.

  • The AAP state government, led by CM Bhagwant Mann, requested that the Centre revise compensation amounts—calling ₹50,000 per acre more realistic—and urged accelerated release of ₹60,000 crore in pending central funds.

  • The Punjab State Human Rights Commission pressed for mandatory CSR contributions from companies, citing disaster relief as legally mandated and essential to uphold human rights.

  • Emergency relief efforts have also seen involvement from the SGPC, which introduced a formal rehabilitation framework backed by ₹2 crore in relief funds, alongside medical and veterinary interventions.

  • High-profile gestures of assistance came from Delhi’s CM Rekha Gupta (donating ₹5 crore) and Haryana CM Naib Singh Saini, though latter’s support sparked debate on regional priorities from his constituents.