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Chandigarh: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to flood-ravaged Punjab today, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government announced a major relief push, demanding a ₹20,000-crore package from the Centre and substantially hiking compensation for flood-hit farmers from ₹6,800 to ₹20,000 per acre.

The move comes just hours before Modi’s scheduled aerial survey of Punjab’s worst-hit regions and review meeting in Gurdaspur, where he is expected to meet victim families and state officials. Earlier in the day, the PM will review the situation in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, which too has suffered extensive damage from flash floods and landslides.

Political Undercurrent Ahead of PM’s Visit

The timing of the Cabinet’s decision to triple farmer compensation — far beyond the Centre’s Disaster Management Act norms of ₹6,800 per acre — is being seen as a political counter-move by the ruling AAP. Analysts suggest it is aimed at upstaging the optics of Modi’s visit, while also reinforcing AAP’s positioning as the only party standing firmly with Punjab’s distressed farmers.

With Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann still hospitalised, a delegation of ministers and top bureaucrats will receive the Prime Minister. Political observers say Modi’s visit — his first to Punjab since the floods — is part of the BJP’s attempt to make deeper inroads into rural Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

AAP Turns Up the Heat on Centre

Punjab minister and AAP state chief Aman Arora said the Centre must respond with urgency. “The PM must announce a ₹20,000-crore package in view of the unprecedented losses. Crops on 4.30 lakh acres have been destroyed, 3.60 lakh livestock have perished, and hundreds of houses have collapsed. This tragedy is worse than 1988,” he said.

Arora also demanded the immediate release of ₹60,000 crore pending dues, including ₹49,727 crore GST compensation and nearly ₹8,000 crore in Rural and Market Development Funds (RDF/MDF). “Punjabis welcome the PM with folded hands. We hope he understands our pain and provides immediate relief,” Arora said.

Sparring Over Causes of Floods

AAP leaders also aimed Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who recently blamed illegal mining in riverbeds for the flooding. Arora accused him of indulging in “disaster tourism” during his Punjab visit. “The real cause is the unprecedented rain and siltation of dams, not mining. Instead of photo-ops, the Centre should focus on real help,” he said.

Relief vs Optics

For farmers, the immediate impact is devastating: heavy silt deposition across large tracts is likely to delay the sowing of the next crop. But for political parties, the floods have become a battlefield of perception — AAP showcasing its relief initiatives. At the same time, the BJP positions the Prime Minister’s personal outreach as a signal of national support. As Modi undertakes his aerial survey on Tuesday, Punjab will be watching closely — not just for promises of relief, but also for signs of whether Centre-state relations in times of disaster will be marked by collaboration or confrontation.