Spotted in Punjab after a year, Raghav Chadha tours flood-hit areas, distributes relief material
In Gurdaspur and Dinangar, Chadha distributed ration and medical kits and said that repair and rehabilitation work will be taken up.
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Raghav Chadha visited the Gurdaspur and Dinanagar areas and was seen taking a motor boat as he reviewd the situation on the ground in the flood-affected areas. (Express photo)At a time when the Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi leadership is facing Opposition heat for not being visible in Punjab at a time when the State is ravaged by floods, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha was seen in the state on Friday — after a gap of over a year.
Chadha visited the Gurdaspur and Dinanagar areas and was seen taking a motor boat as he reviewd the situation on the ground in the flood-affected areas. Chadha had stayed away from the party’s campaign ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as he was abroad. He had then said that he had got his eyes operated on and was advised rest. Last time, he was seen in publicly was on May 28, 2024, while taking out a road show in Ropar.
In Gurdaspur and Dinangar, Chadha distributed ration and medical kits and said that repair and rehabilitation work will be taken up. He announced that he would allocate money from MPLAD fund for flood safety measures.
He later took to X. “Several parts of our Punjab have been severely affected by floods, with families losing their homes, farmlands submerged and livelihoods disrupted. Today, I visited different parts of Gurdaspur & Dinanagar to assess the situation and extend whatever support I can to the people of Punjab. We distributed relief kits and ration, and assured people that repair and rehabilitation work will be taken up.
I will also be allocating funds from my MPLADS fund for the preparation of flood safety measures in vulnerable areas and towards relief work in affected villages. Waheguru ji mehar karan.”
His post did not mention either the AAP government or Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Chadha was once overseeing the Punjab government, holding meetings of officials and taking decisions. He was often termed de-facto CM of the state. He used to stay in a Punjab government’s official bungalow.
He visited Punjab at a time when questions are being raised over the absence of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Punjab incharge Manish Sisodia and co-incharge Satyendar Jain. On the day AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj was raided by Enforcement Directorate, Punjab AAP chief Aman Arora had held a press conference hitting out at BJP led Centre. The entire leadership of AAP was asked to post on X against the raid, leaving a number of party MLAs restive. They had said that while Punjab was facing floods, the AAP unit was busy in posting about raid at Delhi leader’s residence. Chadha had, however, not condemned the ED raid.
After Chadha was spotted in the state, the AAP leaders were discussing internally on whether he would be back in Punjab after Sisodia’s “Saam Daam Dand Bhed” remark had generated negativity and Jain’s land pooling policy had to be scrapped after huge protests.
Sources told The Indian Express that he had visited the state on his own. “He came on his own,” a party source said. He added that Sisodia and Jain were busy in Gujarat as AAP was organising a rally in the cotton belt of the state on September 7. “They want to make the rally a big success. Hence, they are working for that. That is why they could not come to Punjab.”
CM Mann had also faced the opposition heat for not visiting the flood affected areas and choosing to honour the invite of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin instead on August 25. Later, he visited the flood affected districts and left behind Punjab government chopper for flood relief work.
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