Punjab minister accuses Modi of ‘insulting Punjabi language’ at flood relief meeting

Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of insulting the Punjabi language and the people of Punjab during his visit to the flood-hit state.

Cheema said the Rs 1,600-crore aid package announced by the Centre was “miserably meagre” and failed to match the scale of destruction caused by the state’s worst floods since 1988.

The prime minister conducted an aerial survey of affected areas earlier in the day, after which he announced financial assistance of Rs 1,600 crore, along with an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured. He later chaired a review meeting in Gurdaspur to assess the situation.

Cheema alleged that during this meeting, Punjab cabinet minister Hardeep Singh Mundian directly told Modi that the aid amount was “meagre” and pressed for an interim relief package of Rs 20,000 crore.

According to Cheema, the prime minister’s reply amounted to belittling the Punjabi language. “Then the PM told him (Mundian), ‘Kya aapko Hindi samajh nahin aati? Aapko samajh nahin aata ke Rs 1,600 crore de diya (do you not understand Hindi? Do you not understand that Rs 1,600 crore has been given?),” Cheema alleged. “It means the PM insulted our mother language Punjabi, people of Punjab and Punjabiyat.”

The finance minister also criticised the timing and manner of Modi’s visit, pointing out that the prime minister came to Punjab almost 30 days after the floods struck. “He announced a meagre amount of Rs 1,600 crore. It is like oont ke muh mein jeera (cumin in a camel's mouth),” Cheema said, using a Hindi phrase to suggest the amount was negligible in comparison to the need.

“He did not bother to hold the hands of the people who lost their family members, people whose crops and houses were damaged. Instead of meeting grieving families who lost loved ones, farmers whose crops were destroyed, and labourers whose homes were washed away, he only rubbed salt on their wounds,” he added.

Cheema further accused Modi of sidelining Punjab’s elected government during his day-long visit. “If the PM only wanted to meet his party workers,” Cheema said, “he could have invited them to Delhi for a tea party instead of visiting Punjab and putting on this dramatic show.” He also alleged that BJP leaders were “portrayed as flood victims” in the Gurdaspur meeting.

The minister’s remarks come amid growing political tension in Punjab over the adequacy of central assistance. The state is facing its worst natural disaster in decades, with official figures confirming 52 deaths and crop losses across 1.91 lakh hectares of farmland. Thousands of families remain displaced, and rehabilitation efforts are still underway.

Cheema’s attack reflects the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government’s mounting frustration with the Centre, which it accuses of ignoring Punjab’s urgent needs. The state government has repeatedly demanded a far larger relief package, citing the magnitude of destruction to homes, roads, and agricultural land.

The political confrontation over flood aid is likely to sharpen in the coming weeks, with the Punjab government pressing for additional support and opposition parties seizing on the issue to highlight Centre–state tensions.