Ludhiana, Sep 6 (IANS) BJP national General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Saturday blamed the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab for failing in undertaking flood protection measures in time and for doing cheap politics on Bhakra waters to put the state in a man-made disaster.
Interacting with the people in Sasrali village in Ludhiana district, Chugh condemned the government’s failure to take action on an FIR registered against illegal mining gang members.
“There’s complete connivance of the Arvind Kejriwal-led gang with the mining mafia which must be investigated by the CBI,” he said.
Chugh said had Punjab heeded the BBMB advice on time, still this situation would have been not that worse. He met villagers, NDRF teams, and Indian Army personnel working day and night to save the Dhussi bundh, and offered ‘ardas’ for the safety of the people of Punjab and the brave hearts protecting the embankment.
Chugh said: “Due to rampant state-sponsored illegal mining across Punjab that happened right under the nose of this failed AAP government, the natural flood situation has worsened into a man-made tragedy. Sand mafia was protected while Punjab was pushed into devastation. Today, over 4 lakh acres of land are submerged and nearly 1,800 villages across all 23 districts of Punjab are struggling.
“Villagers in Sasrali had lodged complaints months ago, but the AAP government chose silence over action.”
He said the Dhussi bundh was a visionary project of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
“AAP leaders admitted on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha that Rs 200 crore was spent on repair and maintenance. Where did that money gone? Punjab deserves an answer,” Chugh questioned.
Highlighting the Centre’s commitment, he said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is standing shoulder to shoulder with Punjabis. A sum of Rs 11,000 crore have already been released to the NDRF, and our Armed forces have saved over 15,000 lives, including a mother and her newborn child. While the Army, the NDRF and the central agencies are working tirelessly in Punjab, the state government is nowhere to be seen. The so-called ‘super CM’ Kejriwal and his deputy are roaming around, wasting Punjab’s taxpayers’ money instead of saving lives.”
On Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s health, Chugh said: “I wish him a speedy recovery so that he can return to his office at the earliest and ensure that Punjabis, who have suffered a severe financial setback due to this disaster, are compensated fairly and timely.”
–IANS
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