Listen To This Post
New Delhi/Chandigarh:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Himachal Pradesh and Punjab on Tuesday to review the devastation caused by floods and landslides that have battered the region over the past three weeks. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Modi will first reach Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) at 1.30 pm, and conduct an aerial survey of worst-hit areas in Himachal and meeting with senior officials. Around 3.30 PM In Gudaspur (Punjab), after an aerial survey he will hold a high-level review meeting with state officials and disaster management agencies and meet families affected by the flood. PM will interact with the NDRF, SDRF and Aapda Mitra Team, engaged in rescue and relief work.
AAP Government Announces ₹20,000/acre Relief Ahead of PM’s Visit
On the eve of the Prime Minister’s visit, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab rushed to announce a ₹20,000 per acre compensation for farmers whose crops were damaged in the floods.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, making his first major public decision since recovering from illness, declared the package saying it was aimed at giving “timely relief to Punjab’s backbone — the farmers.” The payout will be made after completion of the special girdawari (field survey) being conducted by the administration.
With over 4 lakh acres of farmland submerged, this is one of Punjab’s largest farmer-relief packages in recent years. But political observers see it as Mann’s attempt to seize credit and blunt Modi’s optics, ahead of the Prime Minister’s high-profile visit to the state on Tuesday.
AAP leaders have been accusing the BJP-led Centre of deliberately withholding funds, including pending GST compensation, while Mann’s announcement positions the state government as taking proactive measures in contrast to what AAP terms the Centre’s “step-motherly attitude” towards Punjab.
PM visit comes after Punjab formally pegged its flood losses at ₹13,289 crore and demanded a special relief package from the Centre. The PM’s outreach is significant — both as reassurance to flood-hit citizens and as a signal that the Centre is monitoring relief closely.
But the timing of Mann’s relief package suggests a tactical move to upstage the Centre’s narrative. By announcing farmer compensation ahead of Modi’s visit, AAP has sought to project itself as the real saviour of Punjab’s distressed farmers — even as it intensifies its charge that the BJP is indifferent to Punjab’s pain. Political watchers say the face-off underscores how natural disasters are now being politicised, with both sides eager to leverage relief announcements for electoral positioning. With the 2027 Assembly elections on the horizon, such flashpoints will likely sharpen the AAP-BJP rivalry in Punjab.
