Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini asks Bhagwant Mann where ₹1,600 crore flood aid went

Hoshiarpur. Addressing a large rally at Dasuya in Hoshiarpur district on Friday, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini accused the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress of giving Punjab false promises while drugs spread and young people stayed without work.

He demanded that the Punjab government tell people how much of the Centre’s ₹1,600 crore flood relief reached affected families “and how much was spent on advertisements and hoardings.” He said the Centre also gave ₹1,500 crore to Himachal Pradesh, yet the Punjab government raised questions over the help.

AAP had promised to end drug abuse within six months, Saini said, but it is still a serious problem. He said people from Punjab keep coming to him with the same complaint: “When they report the drug trade, the complainants themselves are harassed and cases are registered against them.”

“These parties make tall promises during elections, but after coming to power they focus on publicity and advertisements,” he said. He added that Punjab’s women are still waiting for the money AAP promised them. He claimed Haryana’s BJP government has met 74 of its 217 poll commitments, with work on the other 143 moving fast.

“Young people have no shortage of talent and energy; what they need is the right direction,” Saini said. He called keeping youth away from drugs a government priority and said Haryana draws them into sports, including monthly marathons with more than one lakh participants.

Haryana was carved out of Punjab on November 1, 1966, amid doubts over its limited resources. Saini said that in 60 years it has made its name in India and abroad, and has set new goals for its Diamond Jubilee, with President Droupadi Murmu recently joining the celebrations. He said every tenth soldier on the borders is from Haryana, its athletes win medals at the Olympics, Paralympics and Asian Games, and global companies rank it among their top choices in India.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s schemes help every section of society in Haryana, and he wants Punjab to get the same: fair crop prices, financial security for women, jobs for the young and dignity for senior citizens.

Haryana Cabinet Minister Ranbir Gangwa said Punjab voted for AAP hoping drugs would end, but chitta remains a grave worry. “When Bhagwant Mann himself has failed to curb drug abuse, how can he make Punjab drug-free?” he asked. He said a BJP government in Punjab would bring Haryana-style schemes for farmers, youth, women, senior citizens and the poor, adding that “while others make tall promises, the BJP fulfils its commitments.”

Former MP Avinash Rai Khanna, Satbir Verma, Ravinder Ravi and a large number of local residents were present.