Demands Judicial Probe by Sitting HC Judge
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa today launched a sharp attack on both the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab and the BJP-led Centre for indulging in blame games instead of addressing the devastation caused by recent floods in Punjab.
Speaking during a special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Bajwa said the floods were not merely a natural disaster but the direct outcome of administrative negligence and gross mismanagement. He demanded an independent, time-bound judicial inquiry headed by a sitting High Court judge, with representatives from all political parties, to fix accountability and bring out the truth.
“These floods were man-made because of the failures of the Water Resource Ministry. A judicial probe must be completed within three months,” Bajwa said. He further demanded that Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal resign immediately and that Principal Secretary (Water Resources) Krishan Kumar be suspended until the inquiry concludes.
Bajwa also highlighted shocking mismanagement in the handling of the Ranjit Sagar Dam. “On August 26, the Punjab government released only 500 cusecs of water, but just two days later, on August 28, it discharged an unprecedented 6-7 lakh cusecs. This reckless release broke the gates of Madhopur barrage and inundated large parts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, and Amritsar, leaving thousands of families displaced,” he said.
Raising the issue of financial irregularities, Bajwa questioned the discrepancies in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). “The Prime Minister claimed that ₹12,000 crore were available, while the Punjab government says only ₹1,582 crore were received during its tenure. Yet, as per the CAG report of March 31, 2023, ₹9,041 crore were lying in the SDRF. Punjabis have every right to know — who is misleading them, the Centre or the State?” he asked.
Drawing a parallel between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Bajwa accused both of evading transparency. “Just as Modi floated the PM CARES Fund to bypass scrutiny, Mann too launched the so-called ‘Rangla Punjab Fund’ instead of using the CM Relief Fund, which is subject to audit and RTI. Interestingly, Mann opposed PM CARES Fund when he was MP and now using same tactic to collect funds. This raises serious doubts about transparency and accountability,” Bajwa said, cautioning NRIs and the public to be wary before contributing. He added that Congress MLAs have contributed a month’s salary for relief work to the CM Relief Fund but Rangla Punjab Fund is meant to bypass audit.
Slamming the AAP government’s “theatrics” in the Assembly, Bajwa said it was unprecedented for a ruling party to stage a protest inside the House with placards. “The Vidhan Sabha has been reduced to a stage show. Instead of taking responsibility, the government is busy playing the victim card,” he remarked.
Concluding his address, Bajwa said: “Punjab does not need excuses or optics — it needs truth, accountability, and justice for those who lost everything in these floods.”