CHANDIGARH: The Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has come under fire after three ministers, who were on a tour of flood-hit areas to oversee relief and rescue operations, were caught on camera chatting about luxury cruises in Sweden and Goa, even as villages around them struggled with rising waters.
A purportedly 27-second video, which is being widely shared on social media, shows these three state cabinet ministers discussing their cruise trips while inspecting the flood situation in Tarn Taran.
Sources said that the video was being streamed live on Bhullar's Facebook page, but it could not be confirmed. In the video, Bhullar is heard recalling his visit to Sweden, where he saw massive cruise ships with hotels and other luxury amenities on board.
As he speaks, Goyal casually adds that the same kind of cruises are available in Goa. The video, which was meant to showcase a flood relief survey, instead ends up sounding more like a travelogue than a display of empathy.
A clip shared on X by senior Punjab Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh allegedly showed ministers, PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh, Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal and Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, discussing cruise trips in Sweden and Goa while sitting in a boat with life jackets on.
In the video, Harbhajan Singh could be heard saying, “I went on a cruise in Sweden. There was everything on the ship itself, hotel and all.” Barinder Goyal could be heard replying that it was the same in Goa.
The clip has been widely shared on social media as the people fought hard to cope with the flood crisis caused by swollen rivers and rivulets following heavy rain in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Slamming the Punjab government, Partap Singh Bajwa wrote on X, “Flood-hit families in Punjab beg for a glass of drinking water, but AAP Punjab's Ministers Barinder Goyal, Laljit Bhullar and Harbhajan Singh found time to relive their 'golden memories' of luxury cruises in Sweden and Goa. What a relief tour!” he said.
Taking a dig at the AAP government and the ministers, Chugh said, “Punjab has drowned, fields have been destroyed, houses damaged, and families are on the streets. But even in these conditions, the ministers are talking about a Sweden-Goa cruise while sitting in a boat instead of sharing the pain of flood victims.”
“The public is asking, did Punjab give you power so that you can recount stories of luxury at the time of crisis? Or so that you can reduce our troubles?” the BJP leaders asked, while alleging the AAP government has failed to live up to people's expectations. “The leaders who talk about luxury in times of disaster are actually the biggest culprits of the destruction of Punjab,” he alleged.
The state cabinet ministers are visiting the flood-hit areas in Punjab to take stock of rescue and relief operations, as eight districts in the state are under the grip of massive floods, while multiple agencies have joined hands to provide succour to a large number of affected people in the flood-hit areas.