Drop in the ocean, crumbs, cruel joke: Cong on PM’s Punjab flood relief aid

“This is like a drop in the ocean; as we say in Hindi, ‘Oont ke mooh mein jeera’. Punjab has suffered discrimination during the last 11 years of the BJP’s rule at the Centre just because the state did not go along with the saffron party,” Warring said.

He said nothing else explains such “discrimination against Punjab and that too at a time when it is struggling to deal with one of the worst natural calamities”.

Spart from Rs 1,600-crore assistance, PM Modi also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured in the floods and natural calamity.

Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha , Partap Singh Bajwa termed the financial assistance a “cruel joke”.

“The state has suffered losses to the tune of nearly Rs 20,000 crore. Against this backdrop, the Centre’s announcement amounts to less than 8 per cent of the damage,” he said.

Bajwa reminded the nation that Punjab has always stood tall in India’s service. “With just 2 per cent of the country’s population, it contributes between 15 to 19 per cent of India’s wheat and 11 to 13 per cent of its rice, ensuring food security for millions. Nearly 8 per cent of the soldiers safeguarding India’s borders come from Punjab. It was Punjab that led the Green Revolution, ensuring India never faced hunger again, and it was Punjab’s sons who shed blood — from the struggle for India’s Independence to Kargil,” he said.

“Punjab has always placed the nation above itself by filling its granaries, by sending its soldiers to the frontlines, and by leading the nation’s progress. Yet, when Punjab faces one of its worst disasters, the Centre responds with crumbs,” Bajwa alleged.

He added, “This is not about numbers alone. It is about dignity and justice. Farmers who fed India now stand devastated, and families who sent soldiers to guard the nation have lost their homes. Punjab deserves fairness, recognition, and genuine support, not symbolic aid,” Bajwa added.

The Congress leader further demanded that the Union government immediately release the Rs 60,000 crore “pending” funds that rightfully belong to Punjab under goods and services tax compensation, RDF, and other central schemes. “These withheld funds, if released without delay, would provide Punjab the financial strength to get back on its feet and rebuild lives,” he added.

Former minister and Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh termed PM’s announcement a “betrayal and a mockery” of people’s suffering.

He the Prime Minister turned the proverb ‘khoda pahad, nikla chuha’ into reality. “Punjab is crying in pain, entire villages are drowning, crops worth thousands of crores are destroyed, families are displaced. And what does Punjab get? A token amount that adds salt to our wounds. What healing can Rs 1,600 crore possibly bring to this devastation?” he asked.

He noted that Punjabis had expected at least Rs 20,000–25,000 crore in relief, given the unprecedented destruction caused by the worst floods in 37 years. “Instead, the Centre has given an amount that is not even a fraction of the loss. This is not relief, this is humiliation. Once again, Modi has shown his bias and stepmotherly treatment towards Punjab,” Pargat Singh said.

The Congress leader added that the world is watching Punjab’s devastation, yet the Centre chooses to look away. “When BJP-ruled states face floods or disasters, the Centre rushes with interim packages. But when Punjab suffers, Delhi turns its back. This selective compassion exposes the Centre’s prejudice against Punjabis,” he said.

Pargat Singh also criticized the Centre’s announcement of only Rs2 lakh compensation for the dead and Rs50,000 for the injured, terming it far too little. He reiterated his demand that both the Punjab government and the Centre must provide at least Rs10 lakh to each bereaved family, along with adequate support for the injured and displaced.

“Punjab has always stood tall for the nation in every crisis. Today, when Punjab itself is in crisis, the Centre has abandoned us. This is not just negligence—it is a betrayal of trust,” Pargat Singh said.