STATE TIMES NEWS
CHANDIGARH: BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Wednesday called out the Bhagwant Mann government for what he described as the criminal misuse and diversion of the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) in Punjab.
In a statement, he said the matter is serious enough to warrant an immediate CBI investigation, especially because the AAP government has tried to mislead Punjabis and incite anti-Centre sentiments by hiding the truth, he added.
Chugh said that even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi took every possible step to support flood-hit families in Punjab, the AAP government was busy running an anti-national narrative, suppressing and twisting facts about the substantial aid released by the Centre.
He said that the opening balance of Rs. 11,947 crore lying unused in the SDRF on April 1, 2025, along with the advance release of the Centre’s entire contribution for 2025-26, proves that the crisis in Punjab was not natural alone-it was a Mann-Made Disaster.
Chugh said the Centre, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, released both installments of the SDRF Central share-Rs. 240.80 crore each-even ahead of schedule. This was accompanied by additional support for flood-affected farmers, including over Rs. 221 crore transferred directly to more than 11.09 lakh farmers under PM-KISAN, free wheat seed distribution worth Rs. 74 crore under PM-RKVY, and joint Centre-State assistance for Berseem seed distribution benefiting thousands of hectares, he said.
Chugh pointed out that allocations under the National Mission on Oilseeds and the horticulture mission were also made to help affected farmers rebuild their livelihoods.
Referring to the statement made in Parliament by the Union Minister of State for Home, which revealed that on April 1, 2025, the Punjab government had an opening balance of Rs. 11,947 crore in the SDRF, Chugh said it is now abundantly clear that the Mann government has misappropriated, diverted, and concealed the fund’s utilisation. He said Punjabis deserve to know where the money went, and why the state government kept them in the dark.
Chugh said that despite having enormous funds in its disaster relief account and receiving continuous Central support, the Mann government chose to hide facts, distort data, and mislead Punjabis to whip up anti-Centre sentiment.
“When people needed relief, Punjab’s money was locked up. Instead of using SDRF for immediate support, the AAP government spent its time building political narratives. This is criminal negligence,” he said.
Chugh demanded a high-level investigation and said accountability must be fixed for this financial misconduct. “Punjab has reached a point of financial collapse. There is no development on the ground, and salaries are delayed for months. This is absolute administrative failure,” he said.
He added that while the government spends crores on false publicity, advertisements, and image-building, it has done nothing for public welfare or infrastructure, leaving people frustrated and helpless. “The entire state exchequer today exists only to serve Bhagwant Mann’s mentors sitting in Delhi,” Chugh said.
Citing recent media reports exposing the sharp decline in Punjab’s capital expenditure, Chugh said the situation reflects a near-economic emergency. In the first half of the 2025-26 financial year, capital expenditure in Punjab fell by 36 percent, crashing to just Rs. 1,760 crore, with the government managing to spend only 17 percent of its own budgeted provision. “This government has failed on every front. Instead of governance, they are busy pleasing the Tihar Gang Trio and staging political drama,” he said.
