Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chohan’s Flood Hit Punjab go to on Thursday highlighted the BJP’s extra aggressive strategy to the catastrophe. This confirmed a pointy distinction from 2023 when 21 of the 23 districts had been submerged resulting from flooding and didn’t go to the state.
Chohan has revealed that he has visited a number of villages in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Kapurtara and has arrived within the state on the course of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I used to be despatched by the Prime Minister to get inventory of the floods in Punjab. We’re standing tall with Punjab,” he mentioned.
“I didn’t come right here as a pastor, however as a servant of the farmers of Punjab,” Chohan mentioned.
In 2023, there have been floods attributable to heavy rains, extreme dam releases and Himachal cloudburst destroying Punjab, however Union ministers didn’t tour the state. On the time, the leaders of the ruling AAP had been complaining in regards to the lack of flood reduction efforts by the state’s BJP management centres.
The AAP camp later accused Bihar of being allotted Rs 11,500 as flood reduction within the 2024-25 union funds, however Punjab was barely charged.
Regardless of official information of losses of over Rs 1,500 and injury to farmland over hectares of Rs 2.21 lakh, they obtained one thing. Nevertheless, on the time, the Centre launched Rs 218 from the Nationwide Catastrophe Reduction Fund to Punjab, with the state compensated for Rs 6,800 per acre.
Nevertheless, this yr, Punjab’s BJP leaders predict that they are going to be extra distinguished and sensible amid the catastrophic flood.
On Thursday, the provincial BJP president Sunil Jakar drove the tractor himself and carried Chohan to the affected village the place regular passages had been blocked by flood waters. Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu drove one other tractor to ferry Chouhan throughout his go to.
Particularly, Jakar was the primary Punjab chief to write down a letter to Prime Minister Modi on August 30, in search of a flood reduction bundle forward of the same enchantment made by opposition leaders and opposition Prime Minister Singh Bajwa and Unhappy Sukhbir Singh Badal, Congress leaders Singh Bajwa and Unhappy Sukhbir Singh Badal.
In the meantime, the state’s BJP leaders have seen them participate in reduction efforts in a number of belts. In Jalandhar, BJP State Secretary Tarun Chu carried a ration bag on his shoulder whereas loading reduction materials into the truck.
Anita Som Parkash, the chief of the BJP and spouse of former Union Mos Som Parkash, was seen distributing distribution kits at Phagwara. “We have to give attention to reduction efforts at this level and work to assist the welfare of flood victims,” she mentioned.
In Ludhiana, BJP spokesman Pritpal Singh Baliawal camped on Sahnewal’s Sasurali embankment for over two weeks and labored with volunteers to strengthen the weak stretches of the embankment of the Sutlej River. “The administration solely grew to become lively when issues bought worse. However I am right here 24×7 for the folks,” he insisted.
In Mohali, the state’s BJP Media Head Vineet Joshi joined the locals and blocked a chest violation close to Nayagaon when the river destroyed the highway on September third.
Another BJP leaders have additionally taken on flood reduction. Rana Ghameet Singh Sodi of Ferosepur and his son Hera monitored the delicate embankment factors alongside the Satorej. At Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdarshan Singh despatched truck reduction supplies, whereas at Patiala, Mahila Morcha chief Jai Inder Kaur was strolling the floods in Patlan on Thursday.
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini introduced 5 Rs this week for flood assist in Punjab, offering extra assist if crucial. There was no such help in 2023 from the BJP-led Haryana authorities.
BJP bids to get the bottom again
Presently, the BJP has solely two MLAs within the Punjab Congress. The celebration was unable to win one Roxaba seat from the state within the 2024 ballot, even when it had gained 18.5% of the vote shares. After dealing with blowback within the wake of farmers’ uprisings between 2020 and 21, the celebration tried to reconstruct the story within the state. These efforts have been intensified to regain misplaced floor forward of the 2027 Punjab Parliament ballot.
For months this yr, BJP employees had been making an attempt to attach with villagers by welfare outreach camps underneath the “BJP de Sewadaar aa gaye ne tuhade dwar” programme, which introduces varied central schemes.
Later within the face of warmth from the administration, Yahah suspended these camps on August 27, accusing the AAP authorities of blocking allegations of “information theft.” He’s now asking celebration members to prioritize flood reduction work throughout all districts.
