Decode politics: Why PM Modi is talking of ‘bandarbant’ in Himachal?

At least 441 people were killed and more than 14,000 houses damaged in rains across Himachal in July-August 2023, with Shimla, Mandi, Sirmaur and Chamba districts the worst affected.

📌 What did the PM say at his rallies?

He said: “Yahan aapda ke baad kendra ne sainkro crore rupiya bheja hai… Yahan uski bhi bandarbant kar di gai… Mere shabd likh lijiye… Iss sarkar ka jaana tay hai… Main inse ek-ek paise ka hisab loonga aur Mandi ke logon ke haath mein rakhunga (The Centre sent hundreds of crores of rupees to the state government after last year’s disaster, but those funds too were distributed indiscriminately. Mark my words, this government’s collapse is imminent. I promise you that I will account for every single paisa from them and put it in the hands of Mandi’s people).”

📌 What funds was Modi referring to?

The PM was referring to the money given to the state government under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). According to official records, Himachal Pradesh received Rs 1,148 crore in relief funds (Rs 360.80 crore under the SDRF, and Rs 787.25 crore under the NDRF) from the Centre over 2023 and 2024.

The SDRF, constituted under Section 48(1)(a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, is the primary fund available with state governments to respond to notified disasters. The Centre contributes 75% of the SDRF allocation for ‘general category’ states/UTs, and 90% for ‘special category’ states/UTs. Himachal Pradesh, along with states in the Northeast, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir, fall under the special category. As per recommendation of the 15th Finance Commission, the annual Central contribution is released in two equal instalments by the Centre to the states. The SDRF can be used only to provide immediate relief to victims.

The NDRF, constituted under Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, supplements the SDRF of a state in case a disaster is very severe, and provided adequate funds are not available under the SDRF. The entire NDRF is contributed by the Centre. Disasters notified under these funds include cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, hailstorms, landslides, tsunamis, pest attacks, fires, floods, avalanches, cloudbursts, frost and cold waves.

📌 Why did Modi allege ‘bandarbant (indiscriminate distribution)’?

According to former CM and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jairam Thakur of the BJP, the Himachal government distributed the relief funds selectively, without following proper procedures. “For instance, money received under relief funds, be it the NDRF or SDRF, should always be transferred to bank accounts of victims. Instead, the state government distributed the cash manually, via its MLAs, ministers and other leaders. As per rules, no government aid exceeding Rs 25,000 can be given in cash to anyone. Even ex-gratia aid exceeding Rs 25,000 is to be transferred to the accounts of victims or given via cheques. Secondly, Congress party workers who lost their houses, commercial buildings, cattle, etc, were given abundant compensation, while the claims of people aligned with the BJP or other parties were ignored,” Thakur said. His allegation is that the state government was either trying to influence voters, or discriminate against those who support other parties.

According to Thakur, the state government also raised the relief amounts manifold for certain categories without following proper procedures. For instance, the compensation for a completely damaged house was earlier Rs 1.30 lakh. In October 2023, the state government increased it to Rs 7 lakh.

BJP members in Mandi district, which was one of the most affected areas, say many of the victims aligned with the party were ignored for compensation, one reason why PM Modi specifically mentioned the district in his speeches.

While Thakur has claimed that BJP workers had evidence to back their accusations, and that a complaint would be lodged after the elections, no official complaint has been filed regarding any of the allegations made by the party.

📌 How has the state government responded?

A senior bureaucrat at the Himachal Pradesh’s Department of Revenue and Disaster Management, on condition of anonymity, said, “The NDRF and SDRF can’t be spent outside the conditions set by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).” CM Sukhvinder Sukhu’s principal adviser (media) Naresh Chauhan called PM Modi’s bandarbant allegation baseless, and accused local BJP leaders of spreading rumours instead of assisting the state government in obtaining more funds from the Centre.

“The NDRF and SDRF are the right of every state. By releasing these funds to Himachal Pradesh, PM Modi did not do anything special for the state. Why doesn’t PM Modi, who claims Himachal as his second home, treat it like his first home Gujarat, where the Central government poured in aid after the 2021 earthquake? So far, the state government has distributed Rs 4,500 crore to victims,” he said, adding that the claim that relief money was distributed in cash was not correct.

📌 Why has the Congress government accused Delhi of ignoring the interests and plight of Himachalis?

After the disaster, the state government launched its own ‘Aapda Rahat Kosh 2023’ on July 15 and appealed to all, including other state governments, to donate money to it. In September, Sukhu donated his “entire life’s savings” of Rs 51 lakh to the fund. That same month, the state Assembly passed a resolution to seek Rs 12,000 crore as relief funds from the Centre, and to demand that Himachal be declared a disaster-affected state. It later reduced the demand to Rs 9,900 crore. In December 2023, the Centre released Rs 360 crore under the SDRF, and has not agreed to more funds.