Punjab minister and state Aam Aadmi Party president Aman Arora on Tuesday strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what he described as a “paltry and insulting” relief package of Rs 1,600 crore to a state that has recorded flood damages of more than Rs 20,000 crore.
Arora accused the Prime Minister of mocking the pain of Punjab’s people rather than responding with seriousness. “The Prime Minister came, saw, and offered a pittance,” he remarked. “While our farmers stand amidst the ruins of their lives—their homes, their crops, their livestock washed away—the Centre’s response is not just inadequate, it is a blatant insult. Rs 1600 crore is a slap in the face of every citizen who has lost everything.”
He reminded that the Punjab government under chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had sought immediate release of Rs 60,000 crore that remains stuck with the Centre along with a demand for a Rs 20,000 crore relief package. Arora said the token amount announced mocked the scale of devastation and exposed the Centre’s disregard for the suffering of Punjabis.
The minister underlined that the floods had struck the agriculture sector most severely. Nearly 4.8 lakh acres of farmland were impacted, with paddy taking the worst blow as over 3.71 lakh acres went under water.
Calling for a fairer approach, Arora urged the central government to revisit the damage assessment with urgency and commit to a relief package that reflects both the enormity of the destruction and Punjab’s importance to the country.
