Sukhbir Singh Badal Criticizes Punjab CM for Handling Flood Relief

Accusations Against the Chief Minister

On Saturday, Sukhbir Singh Badal, the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of staging a 'drama' during a special session of the Punjab Assembly to cover up the government's failure to release funds for farmers affected by floods.

While visiting flood-hit areas in his constituency, Badal flagged off 200 trucks of maize for 100 villages.

In a statement, Badal expressed that the Chief Minister should have utilized the special assembly session to expand the compensation scope for all crops damaged by floods, ensuring that the compensation is not limited to five acres per farmer but increased to ₹50,000 per acre.

He criticized the Chief Minister for opting to waste millions on propaganda instead. Badal noted that while it is commendable to demand adequate compensation from the central government, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration should first distribute the existing ₹12,000 crore from the state disaster response fund to the flood victims before seeking additional funds from the center.

He further pointed out that the compensation rules are being violated, with a fixed amount of ₹20,000 per acre for crop losses, yet revenue officials are only accepting claims of 25-50%, resulting in farmers receiving merely ₹2,000-5,000 per acre.