On Monday, September 28, 2025, the Punjab Assembly unanimously approved a resolution sharply criticizing the BJP-led central government. The resolution highlighted the Centre’s perceived indifference and its failure to provide a much-needed financial aid package to Punjab, a state recently devastated by severe floods.
The assembly’s resolution also took aim at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), condemning its inaction in responding to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s repeated requests for a meeting. This lack of engagement was viewed as an ‘insult’ to the people of Punjab and reportedly hindered the state’s ability to present a full and accurate picture of the extensive damage caused by the floods.
Notably, the two BJP members were absent from the House during the resolution’s passage on Monday, September 28, 2025.
Originally introduced on Friday, September 26, 2025, the resolution was formally adopted following a comprehensive discussion focusing on the ‘rehabilitation of Punjab’.
This decision came during a special two-day session of the Punjab Assembly, which commenced on Friday, September 26, 2025.
Concluding the session’s discussions, Chief Minister Mann announced significant compensation for flood victims. Farmers who suffered 75% to 100% crop damage would receive ₹20,000 per acre. For those with 26% to 75% crop damage, compensation was set at ₹10,000 per acre.
Additionally, a compensation of ₹1.20 lakh was allocated for homes that were completely destroyed by the floods.
Chief Minister Mann further assured that a special ‘girdawari’ (loss assessment) is currently being conducted, with flood-affected families expected to receive their compensation before the Diwali festival. Farmers would also receive ₹7,200 per acre to cover the costs of removing sand that had deposited on their fields due to the flooding.
Farmers whose agricultural land was entirely swept away by the swollen rivers would be provided ₹47,500 per hectare.
Mann sharply criticized the central government, alleging that his requests for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the disaster relief had been ignored. He sarcastically noted that while he was denied an audience, the Prime Minister found time to meet with the Punjab Governor.
However, CM Mann confirmed that he has been scheduled to meet with Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
It’s worth recalling that during a recent visit to Punjab, Prime Minister Modi had announced financial assistance of ₹1,600 crore for the flood-stricken state. This amount was supplementary to the ₹12,000 crore already available in the state’s coffers.
The resolution highlighted that Punjab had endured catastrophic floods, considered the most destructive since the devastating 1988 floods, which affected over 3.4 million people.
The current disaster, according to the resolution, has exceeded the scale and devastation of other significant floods in independent India, including those in 1955 and 1978. It has impacted over 2 million people, obliterated crops across nearly 500,000 acres, caused substantial livestock losses, and inflicted irreversible damage on both private and public infrastructure.
Following a thorough assessment, the Chief Minister of Punjab had formally requested a significant financial relief package of at least ₹20,000 crore from the BJP-led Union government to address this unparalleled crisis, the resolution further detailed.
Moreover, the resolution pointed out that even a fraction of the previously announced ₹1,600 crore package had not yet reached the state treasury.
The resolution reiterated its strong condemnation: ‘This House unequivocally denounces the BJP-led Union government’s unresponsive stance and its failure to approve a special financial package appropriate for the magnitude of the worst floods Punjab has endured in decades.’
It further declared: ‘…records its strong protest against the BJP-led Union government’s indifference, which has led to the non-disbursement of the pledged ‘token funds’, severely impeding the state government’s critical relief and rehabilitation efforts.’
Punjab experienced one of its most severe flood disasters in decades, largely caused by the overflowing Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers, coupled with seasonal streams swollen by torrential rainfall in their upstream catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, heavy local rainfall across Punjab further worsened the flood crisis.