’Union govt has imposed undeclared President’s rule in Punjab,’ says CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of ignoring Punjab, saying the Prime Minister has time to meet the selected representatives (Governor) on crucial issues, whereas elected representatives are being ignored by him.

The Chief Minister said that the BJP is insulting the mandate of the people by indulging in tantrums that are “totally unwarranted and undesirable”. He said that the Union government has imposed “undeclared President’s Rule”, which cannot be tolerated. The Union government is diluting the basic federal structure of the constitution, which is unfortunate, he said.

Mr. Mann was speaking on the discussion surrounding the State’s recent floods and rehabilitation during the special session of the Punjab State Assembly.

The Chief Minister said the State government has sought a hike of flood compensation to ₹50,000 per acre from the government of India. “Even during this hour of grave crisis, the Union Ministers came to the state for disaster tourism instead of extending a helping hand to the state government and people,” he said.

“Even the ₹1,600 crore announced by the Prime Minister is a cruel joke with the State. It is ironic that the ₹240 crore, which the State was to get from SDRF, has been included in it. Contrary to this, the Prime Minister is announcing a huge relief package in the poll-bound States like Bihar. We oppose this step-motherly treatment of Punjab, and I will raise these issues with the Union Home Minister,” he said, adding that he will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday to flag the case of the State.

Resolution passed in Punjab Assembly

A resolution was passed in the House condemning the lack of response and the failure of the BJP-led Centre to sanction a special financial package for the flood-hit Punjab. The two BJP MLAs were not present in the House when the resolution was passed.

Leader of Opposition, Congress party’s Partap Singh Bajwa, accused the state government of misleading the people of Punjab on crucial flood preparedness measures. He said the people of Punjab deserve accountability and truth, not diversion and blame-shifting by the ruling party.

Punjab BJP, meanwhile, held a ‘people’s assembly’ near its party office here, in which party leaders accused the Punjab government of failing to take necessary steps for flood prevention. They passed a resolution condemning the Aam Aadmi Party government of Punjab for its failures before, during, and after the floods. The BJP also demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of the SDRF funds by the Punjab government.