Punjab Congress: Bhagwant Mann in Chennai, has abandoned flood-ravaged people

The Congress on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of “abandoning” flood-ravaged people of Punjab, saying he chose to attend the launch of a government scheme in Tamil Nadu to gain “publicity” instead of leading relief efforts in the state.

The Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Partap Bajwa, said, “While large swathes of Punjab remain submerged under floodwaters, the Chief Minister is away in Tamil Nadu.”

Tale of betrayal: BJP

The BJP has also criticised CM Bhagwant Mann for “enjoying hospitality” in Tamil Nadu while floods ravaged his home state. Mann’s breakfast meeting with Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin drew sharp condemnation from BJP leaders. Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma accused Mann of “abandoning Punjabis in crisis”, calling his absence a “betrayal” of people.

“What kind of leader leaves his people to fend for themselves during a humanitarian crisis? This is not just negligence, it is absolute dereliction of duty and criminal irresponsibility,” he added. Bajwa said “massive destruction” of property and crops in Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Hoshiarpur — where rising Ravi, Beas and Sutlej waters have inundated entire villages — forced hundreds of people to leave their homes.

“The people of Punjab have been left to plug breaches with their bare hands, organise their own rescue operations and arrange food and relief as the CM is busy in photo-ops in another state,” the Congress leader alleged.

He accused the AAP government of gross administrative failure by “ignoring repeated meteorological warnings and early alerts from neighbouring Himachal Pradesh about the rising water levels due to incessant rainfall”.