Chandigarh, January 8
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh said that another blatant lie peddled by the Bhagwant Mann government to mislead the people of Punjab has once again been exposed. The much-hyped Rs. 20,000 crore relief package announced with great noise has officially shrunk to just Rs. 11,855 crore in the final damage assessment submitted by the Punjab government itself. Once again, the Kejriwal–Bhagwant Mann duo has been forced to eat humble pie after attempting to fabricate false allegations against the Modi government, which has consistently stood shoulder to shoulder with Punjab in every difficult moment.
Chugh said that to push its propaganda of lies, the Kejriwal–Mann government even convened a special session of the Punjab Assembly, wasting the hard-earned money of Punjab’s taxpayers. This special session was not called to strengthen relief mechanisms or support flood victims, but was misused to spread confusion, misinformation, and baseless accusations against the Central Government.
Chugh said the floods were a clear Mann-Made Disaster caused by gross administrative failure. The first flood preparedness meeting was convened only on 5 June 2025, barely 17 days before the monsoon, making it impossible to clean 2,800 km of Dhussi embankments and statewide drainage channels in time. At Madhopur Headworks, 24 out of 28 gates were found defective, while Harike Headworks had not been desilted for years, resulting in massive embankment breaches and flooding across hundreds of villages.
Chugh said the situation worsened due to blatant mismanagement on the ground. Rampant illegal mining weakened riverbanks, and sudden, delayed releases of water from the Ranjit Sagar Dam intensified flooding in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, and Amritsar. Shockingly, documents reveal that only 15 motorboats were available across three severely affected districts, forcing people to fend for themselves. While Punjab was drowning, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was busy cutting ribbons in Tamil Nadu, and his ministers were chasing cameras for photo opportunities instead of focusing on relief work. Congress leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, also chose drama and politics over standing with suffering Punjabis.
Chugh added that from day one, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured central intervention. Several Union Ministers were deputed to Punjab and other flood-affected states to assess ground realities and coordinate relief. Prime Minister Modi himself visited the affected areas and announced Rs. 1,615 crore for Punjab. The Centre also released Rs. 240.80 crore as the second instalment of SDRF and extended multiple rehabilitation measures. Instead of expressing gratitude, the incompetent Mann government and Kejriwal’s loot-driven coterie indulged in mud-slinging to hide their failures. The people of Punjab now clearly see the truth: when Punjab needed governance, AAP delivered drama; when Punjab needed relief, AAP delivered lies.
