With prayers in Shimla, BJP does monsoon mock drill in Punjab to strengthen preparedness

Chandigarh/Shimla, July 2 (IANS) With the onset of the Southwest monsoon, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday organised a ‘Maharudra Hawan’, praying for the protection of the state and well-being of the people, while its cadre in Punjab has started a ground-level assessment of flood preparedness in floodplains of rivers originating from the Himalayan state.

After participating in the “Maharudra Hawan” in Shimla, Rajya Sabha MP Sikander Kumar said Himachal Pradesh has witnessed devastating natural disasters over the past few years, causing immense loss of life and property, particularly in Mandi, Kullu and Chamba districts.

He added that the “Maharudra Hawan” was performed to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva so that Himachal Pradesh and the entire country remain protected from natural calamities in the future.

He said that during the recent disasters, BJP workers stood shoulder to shoulder with the affected families, providing relief and assistance at every level.

“BJP workers considered it their duty to serve the people during difficult times, while the Congress government failed to provide the leadership and support expected from a responsible administration,” he told the media.

In neighbouring Punjab, which is largely impacted by the swollen rivers originating from Himachal Pradesh, particularly during the monsoon, BJP’s Punjab unit President Kewal Singh Dhillon has appointed senior party leaders to visit districts affected by last year’s floods.

During the visits, the respective district presidents will accompany them and take them to the areas that were most severely affected.

Among the leaders appointed for the visits included legislator Ashwani Sharma for Gurdaspur, former legislator Fatehjang Singh Bajwa for Amritsar, former Member of Parliament (MP) Shwait Malik for Pathankot, former legislator Surjit Jyani for Ferozepur, former state chief Sunil Jakhar for Fazilka, Sushil Rinku for Abohar, former MPs Avinash Rai Khanna for Jalandhar and Vijay Sampla for Ropar, Iqbal Singh Lalpura for Mohali and legislator Jangi Lal Mahajan for Hoshiarpur.

The visiting leaders will interact with affected families and local residents to gather first-hand information regarding flood-related challenges, relief measures, and rehabilitation efforts.

They will also submit detailed reports to the party leadership highlighting local concerns and any shortcomings in preparedness, a BJP statement said.

Reacting to the Himachal government’s repeated allegations against the Centre for bias over disaster assistance, Sikander Kumar said it is the responsibility of the state government to effectively present the state’s case before the Union government.

He noted that all four BJP Members of Parliament (MPs) from Himachal Pradesh, along with the two Rajya Sabha MPs, have consistently raised the state’s concerns in Parliament and worked tirelessly to secure maximum support from the Centre.

Blaming the Union government for the state’s administrative and financial shortcomings, Sikander Kumar said, is merely an attempt to divert attention from the failures of the Congress government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Last year after the monsoon fury, Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal had presented a resolution in the special session of the Vidhan Sabha, demanding a special package of Rs 20,000 crore for flood-affected families, farmers and infrastructure restoration across the state.

He had said the floods in 2025 had surpassed even the devastation of 1988, with more than 2,300 villages ravaged, nearly 20 lakh people were directly affected, crops on more than five lakh acres destroyed, and seven lakh people displaced from their homes.

Last year, Himachal Chief Minister Sukhu declared the state disaster-hit owing to the extensive damage caused by cloudburst, flashfloods and landslides.

He said the monsoon had left a trail of devastation, with 320 lives lost and total damage estimated at more than Rs 3 lakh crore.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

–IANS

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