3 min readChandigarhAug 29, 2025 11:16 AM IST
First published on: Aug 29, 2025 at 11:16 AM IST
Describing the visit by three Punjab ministers to flood-hit areas a “relief tour”, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa has slammed the trio for discussing their experiences onboard cruise ships in Sweden and Goa while making a round in the state in a motorboat.
The LoP made his comments on a video clip shared on X in which three ministers — Birender Goyal, Laljit Singh Bhullar and Harbhajan Singh — are travelling in a motorboat taking stock of the villages marooned in floor waters in Amritsar district.
In the short clip, shared by Bhullar on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Harbhajan Singh is heard commenting on a cruise he undertook onboard a ship in Sweden which had all the amenities under one roof including hotel etc. Goyal responded that Goa also has a similar experience. Bhullar was seen sitting silent in this exchange.
Responding to this clip, Bajwa criticised the ministers saying, “Flood-hit families in Punjab beg for a glass of drinking water, but @AAPPunjab Ministers @barinder_goyal, @Laljitbhullar & @AAPHarbhajan found time to relive their ‘golden memories’ of luxury cruises in Sweden & Goa. What a relief tour!”.
Harbhajan Singh did not respond to a phone call or text message seeking his comments.
In response to the severe flooding in Punjab, triggered by heavy monsoon rains, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has deployed ministers across the state to oversee rescue, evacuation, relief distribution, and on-ground operations in affected districts.
Specific assignments have been given to key ministers in flood-hit areas such as Sangrur, Mansa, Tarn Taran, Sri Goindwal Sahib, Ajnala, Kapurthala, Pathankot, and Sultanpur Lodhi. Apart from Harbhajan Singh, Goyal and Bhullar, ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, Lal Chand Kataruchak, and Hardeep Singh Mundian are assigned to various districts to ensure direct outreach and coordination, dividing affected areas into sectors for efficient relief delivery.
Meanwhile, Bajwa also targeted Mann on X by sharing a post where residents of the CMs native village, Satouj, were seen protesting against the police for not allowing them to create a path to drain water by digging across a road.
Chiding Mann, Bajwa urged him to hear the plight of flood affected people in his own village. “Maharaja Satouj, @BhagwantMann ji, now that you’ve returned after eating idli dosa from Chennai (Tamil Nadu)… you can’t even manage Punjab, it would be good if you just take care of your ancestral village itself! After watching this video, it seems like your state is sinking and the throne is shaking. Upon reaching your village Satouj, do listen to the people’s cries,” he said in the post on X.
AAP minister Harbhajan Singh takes stock of the situation at a flood-hit village in Punjab. (Photo: X) 
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