CM Mann slams opposition for ‘politicising’ floods; calls deluge a natural calamity, raps Centre’s Rs 1,600 crore aid as inadequate
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, September 26, 2025: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann castigated opposition leaders for, in his words, exploiting the flood crisis for politics, asserting that the deluge was a natural catastrophe and not a man‑made disaster, and warning that the public would not forgive “opportunistic” conduct in an hour of pain.
Replying to a special discussion in the Vidhan Sabha on rehabilitation, Mann said the session was convened to chart recovery but was turned into a platform for criticism, and urged all parties to unite to rebuild, adding he would “not hesitate” to protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence if required to secure fair relief for Punjab.
Terming the Centre’s response “insensitive,” Mann said the Prime Minister’s announcement of Rs 1,600 crore was a “cruel joke” given the scale of devastation, and dismissed claims of a Rs 12,000 crore balance under SDRF as a fiction peddled by some leaders to mislead people.
The Chief Minister underlined that similar floods ravaged Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, asking critics whether those, too, were “planned,” and said politicising a natural disaster was unacceptable when the state was grappling with its worst crisis in decades.
Mann detailed the toll of the floods, stating that over 2,300 villages were submerged, more than 20 lakh people affected, and crops destroyed across five lakh acres; 56 lives were lost, around seven lakh people displaced, 3,200 government schools and 19 colleges damaged, 1,400 clinics and hospitals affected, 8,500 km of roads broken, and about 2,500 bridges collapsed, with initial losses pegged at roughly Rs 13,800 crore.
On preparedness and response, he said the government desilted 3,825 km of drains in three years compared to 2,066 km earlier, pushed the Union government for desilting of Bhakra and Pong dams, and credited Ghaggar river desilting for averting worse flooding despite high flows; he also questioned IMD forecasts, citing a day when rainfall far exceeded projections.
The Chief Minister said inflows were extraordinary—Pong received 60.4% more water than in 1988, Bhakra 2.65% more, and Ranjit Sagar 65.3% more than in 2023—underscoring the scale of the event; he reiterated the administration’s commitment to relief, rehabilitation, and transparent use of the Rangla Punjab fund.
Expressing gratitude to youth, the Army, and volunteers for life‑saving efforts, Mann criticized opposition leaders for, as he described, photo‑ops amid crisis, and took aim at SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal’s remarks on building river walls, alleging neglect during previous regimes and invoking unresolved questions around past sacrilege episodes.
Mann appealed for a collective, non‑partisan push to speed compensation, rebuild damaged infrastructure, and restore livelihoods, saying history would remember those who worked to heal Punjab in this hour and those who stood in the way.