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Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been discharged from Fortis Hospital, Mohali, where he was admitted on September 5 after suffering from a bacterial infection, high fever, exhaustion, and a low heart rate.
A medical team on Thursday reviewed his condition and declared him fit, with stable vitals. For the past two to three days, Mann had already resumed official work from the hospital itself, including presiding over a crucial Cabinet meeting on Monday to review the state’s flood situation. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, tomorrow Mann will hold a review meeting at his residence to assess the flood situation in the state. He is expected to jointly oversee relief and rehabilitation efforts with AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, in the coming days.
Punjab has been reeling under its worst floods since 1988, with more than 4.30 lakh acres of farmland submerged, 43 reported deaths, thousands of homes damaged, and nearly 3.60 lakh livestock lost. The state government has pegged the total economic loss at ₹13,289 crore.
In a significant move, the AAP government recently hiked crop compensation to ₹20,000 per acre from the earlier ₹6,800, calling it the highest-ever relief payout in Punjab’s history. Farmers have welcomed the announcement but continue to press for immediate financial support, citing rising costs of re-sowing and restoring waterlogged fields.
On the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab last Tuesday, the state Cabinet also demanded a ₹20,000-crore special relief package from the Centre, besides the release of pending dues of ₹60,000 crore, including GST compensation.
During his visit to Gurdaspur, the Prime Minister announced ₹1,600 crore assistance for Punjab, with additional support promised after central teams complete a detailed assessment. However, AAP leaders argue the amount is “grossly inadequate” given the scale of devastation. Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said, “Not helping the state in its worst crisis will alienate Punjab and Punjabis.”
The floods have also triggered a political blame game. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan attributed the disaster partly to illegal sand mining, a charge vehemently denied by Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Goyal, who insisted unprecedented rainfall was the real cause.
Mann’s illness and hospitalisation, coming in the middle of a crisis, provided ammunition to the opposition. Former CM Charanjit Singh Channi took a dig, saying, “Not just CM Mann, the entire AAP party is ill.” Meanwhile, Mann’s absence during the Prime Minister’s visit was noted in political circles, though Kejriwal stepped in to lead relief supervision in his place.
With the 2027 Assembly elections on the horizon, analysts say the flood crisis is rapidly turning into a political battleground. The AAP government is seeking to project itself as farmer-friendly through enhanced compensation and aggressive Centre-bashing. At the same time, the BJP hopes Modi’s relief package and rural outreach will help the party expand its base in Punjab. For now, all eyes remain on how quickly CM Mann regains full health and resumes flood relief supervision—an exercise that will be as politically significant as it is humanitarian.
