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Punjab CM Mann unwell, skips Kejriwal’s visit to flood-affected areas

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal visited CM Mann and set out for Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala, the epicentre of the deluge in Punjab, along with AAP state president Aman Arora.

The party announced that Kejriwal will address a press conference at a farm on the Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway in the afternoon. (File Photo)

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who has fallen ill, will not accompany Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal during his scheduled visit to flood-affected areas on Thursday, sources in the government said.

CM Mann, a source said, has been “advised complete bed rest by doctors, is recuperating at his official residence,” where Kejriwal visited him during the day to inquire about his health. Thereafter, Kejriwal set out for Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala, the epicentre of the deluge in the state, along with AAP state president Aman Arora. He will also review ongoing rescue and rehabilitation operations, meet displaced residents, and coordinate with state officers.

The development comes amid Punjab’s worst flooding in nearly four decades, with 37 lives lost, over 1.75 lakh acres of farmland submerged, and more than 1,650 villages across all 23 districts impacted since August. Schools remain closed until September 7, and mass evacuations have displaced around 3 lakh people.

Former Delhi chief minister Kejriwal reached Chandigarh on Wednesday evening. His visit is being watched with curiosity, amid a party MLA Harmit Singh Pathanmajra opening a front against the Delhi leadership of AAP. Pathanmajra is related to CM Mann’s wife Dr Gurpreet Kaur. After Pathanmajra’s rebellion, the Patiala police have booked him in a case of rape. But he evaded the arrest and continues to be absconding.

Kejriwal’s visit to the flood-ravaged state, his first since the crisis escalated, has drawn scrutiny from Opposition parties that have accused the AAP leadership of being “missing in action” during the initial days of the disaster. Critics, including the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), pointed out that Kejriwal, along with senior AAP leaders such as Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, had been actively involved in Punjab politics following their party’s setbacks in Delhi but appeared absent when the floods struck.

The AAP had, however, dismissed the allegations, emphasising relief efforts. Kejriwal announced that all party MLAs and MPs would donate one month’s salary to flood relief, and the party has begun dispatching aid materials from Delhi.

Mann had described the situation as “more severe than the 1988 floods” and appealed for national support, including the release of Rs 60,000 crore in pending funds from the Centre.

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Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is also touring the state on Thursday with Central teams to assess crop damage.

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