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‘This Is Jal Pralay’: Shivraj Chouhan, Kejriwal Tour Flood-Hit Punjab As Death Toll Hits 43

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‘This Is Jal Pralay’: Shivraj Chouhan, Kejriwal Tour Flood-Hit Punjab As Death Toll Hits 43

The political spotlight turned to flood-hit Punjab on Thursday, with leaders from both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) visiting devastated areas and issuing urgent appeals for central assistance. This comes as the death toll in the devastating floods rose to 43 on Thursday, while crops on 1.71 lakh hectares of land were damaged, as per news agency PTI.

Shivraj Chouhan Calls Situation ‘Jal Pralay’

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited the state on Thursday, inspecting damage in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts. Terming the tragedy “jal pralay” (a deluge), he walked through flooded paddy fields and rode a tractor and boat to meet affected farmers.

“Loss is visible. The crop is completely damaged. Fields are inundated… It is ‘jal pralay’,” he remarked while wading through waterlogged farmland, as per PTI.

The minister assured farmers of Centre’s backing: “In this hour of crisis, we are with farmers and will make every effort to bail them out of it.” He stressed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent him personally to assess the situation.

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Chouhan said two central teams comprising officials from agriculture, rural development, finance, energy, roads and Jal Shakti ministries had been deployed to study the losses and prepare a detailed report.

During a visit to Kapurthala village, the residents could be heard telling Chouhan that he is the first BJP minister to visit them and that they held high hopes from the government for help.

The Union Agriculture Minister also took a look at an inundated sugarcane field in Gurdaspur. “I came here to meet you. The Prime Minister has sent me,” he said earlier.

 “The central government will make every effort. Punjab is the state that rose to the challenge whenever the country needed it. You have fought for the country. I came here to assure the government stands by everyone, be it farmers, the poor,” Chouhan added.

Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria also submitted a flood report to him at Amritsar airport.

During his visit, Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal handed over a memorandum seeking Rs 2,000 crore in aid for flood-hit Ajnala constituency, along with the release of Rs 60,000 crore in pending dues to the state.

Kejriwal Seeks Immediate Central Support

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal also toured flood-ravaged Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district, urging the BJP-led Centre to come forward in Punjab’s “hour of crisis.” Earlier in the day, he met Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at his Chandigarh residence, where the CM, down with fever after days of field visits, was advised rest.

Kejriwal, accompanied by state minister Aman Arora and Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, described the situation as among the worst since the 1988 floods. “Entire villages have been submerged, causing massive loss of homes, crops and infrastructure,” he told reporters, as quoted by news agency PTI.

He praised Punjab’s resilient spirit, adding, “Even today, Punjabis are helping each other selflessly. A Punjabi thinks of helping his neighbour before helping himself. That is the spirit that will help us overcome this crisis.”

Calling on the Centre for urgent aid, Kejriwal noted, “When a crisis struck Afghanistan, the Centre sent massive relief there, which was a good thing. But today, Punjab is also facing a grave crisis. We urge the Centre to extend maximum support to Punjab without delay.”

Punjab Minister Cheema Questions Centre’s Priorities

Meanwhile, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema launched a sharp attack on the Centre, accusing it of dragging its feet on relief for Punjab while swiftly sending aid abroad.

“Why is it hesitating to help our own people? If humanitarian aid can be sent across borders, then why the hesitation in helping our own people?” he asked in a statement, drawing parallels with the government’s prompt dispatch of 21 tonnes of relief material to earthquake-hit Afghanistan, where over 1,400 lives were lost.

Cheema reiterated that Punjab, a state that has consistently contributed to India’s food security, deserves timely assistance. He also reminded that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had written to Prime Minister Modi urging release of Rs 60,000 crore of Punjab’s funds.

Calling for transparency in relief distribution, Cheema appealed to citizens to donate to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, assuring “every rupee will reach those who need it most.”

On the Goods and Services Tax, he pressed for continued compensation from the Centre and demanded that the benefits of the simplified two-slab GST structure be passed on to the public.

Punjab is currently grappling with its most severe flooding in four decades, caused by the Sutlej, Beas, Ravi and seasonal rivulets swelling due to heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Torrential rains within Punjab have further worsened the crisis, leaving widespread devastation in their wake.

Doonited Affiliated: Syndicate News Hunt

This report has been published as part of an auto-generated syndicated wire feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been modified or edited by Doonited

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