Centre 'paying lip service towards flood-hit people', says Punjab AAP legislators

Chandigarh, Sep 26 The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators in Punjab, on Friday, raised slogans and showed placards against the Central government in the state Assembly.

They said the Centre "is paying just a lip service towards flood-affected people of the state".

They added that the Central government has not released Rs 1,600 crore till date as declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the flood-affected areas of the state.

"This amount is miserable meager for rehabilitation of flood affected people," they said.

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Congress "is protecting the Central government".

Both BJP MLAs, Jangi Lal Mahajan and Ashwani Kumar Sharma, were not present during the special Assembly session.

Minister Cheema said that 20 days have been passed till date, but "we haven't received any amount from the Central government".

He added that the BJP government "is not helping people of Punjab in this hour of crises".

He also said that the Congress "is misguiding the Punjabis and doing politics on this issue which is extremely painful".

Speaking in favour of the 'Rehabilitation of Punjab' resolution, the Finance Minister painted a grave picture of the destruction, which started in Kapurthala district in August, and the state witnessed the worst floods by the end of August.

While mentioning the state government mobilised all available resources for relief and rescue operations, with AAP MLAs and Ministers working to support the flood victims, Minister Cheema asked whether the Central government had fulfilled its responsibilities within the federal framework.

Highlighting the significant delay in the Prime Minister's visit, which occurred nearly a month after the floods began, Minister Cheema contrasted this with the swift response in extending relief to Afghanistan, questioning the disparity in approach.

"What's even more troubling is the Prime Minister's announcement of a paltry Rs 1,600 crore relief package, of which not a single rupee has been disbursed to Punjab till date."

In an indictment of the Prime Minister Modi's tour of the flood-hit areas in Punjab, the Finance Minister said, "The Prime Minister failed to even console the family, who lost three of its members to the floods, limiting his tour to a mere photo-op."

He reminded the House that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had written to the Prime Minister in late August, seeking the release of Rs 60,000 crore in outstanding funds.

He highlighted a concerning disparity, noting that the Prime Minister "is inaccessible to the elected Chief Minister but readily meets with appointed ones".

He also expressed regret over the absence of both BJP MLAs from the Assembly, suggesting they could have provided clarity on the utilisation of the Rs 1,600-crore relief package, out of which not a single penny has been transferred to the state exchequer.

"Today, the BJP's stance has been exposed nationwide," he added.

Earlier on Fiday, State Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal presented a resolution in the special two-day session of the Vidhan Sabha, demanding a special package of Rs 20,000 crore for flood-affected families, farmers and infrastructure restoration across the state.

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