AAP spent Centre's ₹1,600 crore flood relief funds for Punjab elsewhere: CM Saini

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. File | Photo Credit: ANI

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday (November 6, 2026) alleged that the AAP government in Punjab had spent elsewhere the ₹1,600 crore announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the flood-hit State last year.

Mr. Saini said he had earlier watched a video on social media in which Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had promised compensation for every loss suffered by people during the devastating floods, down to a single hen.

Also Read: Punjab floods leave farmers stranded between two seasons

CM Mann had also said he did not need to look towards the Centre for funds, Mr. Saini said.

However, when floods hit Punjab, CM Mann did not have money to compensate farmers, the Haryana Chief Minister told reporters in Chandigarh.

The Prime Minister had provided ₹1,600 crore to Punjab and ₹1,500 crore to Himachal Pradesh for the natural calamity last year, Saini said.

"Himachal did not say that it had not received the money, as it utilised it. The Punjab government is still saying that it has not received the money, whereas it spent the funds elsewhere," he alleged.

Mr. Saini further claimed that farmers from Punjab had told him that AAP ministers distributed compensation cheques in their presence and posed for photographs with the media, but took the cheques back after the media left.

"This is what they do. Then how will the people of Punjab vote for them?" he asked.

Targeting CM Mann, Mr. Saini said the Punjab Chief Minister had spent five years cracking jokes instead of working.

He also alleged that AAP had failed to fulfil its pre-election promise of providing ₹1,000 per month to every woman in Punjab ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls.

The women were made to wait until the next elections drew near, he said, asking who would now pay them the promised arrears of ₹50,000.

Mr. Saini accused the Congress and its INDIA bloc partners of repeatedly targeting constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission, alleging that it had become their habit.

"They try to mislead people. They do not allow Parliament to function. Any scheme that the government brings, they oppose it," he told reporters here after transferring funds directly to eligible beneficiaries under various schemes through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

The money is transferred directly into the beneficiaries' bank accounts every month, he said. Mr. Saini said people would reject the opposition parties in the coming time.

In Haryana, the Congress had promised 100-square-yard plots ahead of the elections but did not fulfil the promise, he alleged. The BJP government distributed the plots after returning to power, he said.

The Narendra Modi government understands the concerns of the poor and has worked for their upliftment, Mr. Saini said.

Accusing the Congress of indulging in the politics of lies, he said, "They have no issues. They speak lies to garner votes. Their other INDIA bloc partners also speak lies."

Published - November 06, 2026 12:16 pm IST