Chandigarh, September, 3: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will visit flood-ravaged Punjab on Thursday, the party said. He will be joined by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to assess the extent of damage, review ongoing relief operations, and meet people affected by the calamity.
Punjab has been battling widespread flooding after heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir swelled the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers, as well as seasonal rivulets, inundating large parts of the state.
In a statement, AAP noted that Kejriwal’s visit would focus on the condition of affected families and the pace of assistance being provided. “The chief minister will interact with those displaced and take stock of the relief efforts,” the party said.
Kejriwal also announced that AAP’s Delhi unit had dispatched relief material to Punjab. Delhi party president Saurabh Bharadwaj is leading the first consignment. “Every day, AAP leaders, MLAs, MPs, and even ordinary citizens from Delhi will send trucks of essential supplies to Punjab. Many RWAs and traders have joined in, contributing at their own level. The entire nation is standing with Punjab in this hour of need,” Kejriwal said.
On Tuesday, he had further declared that all AAP legislators and parliamentarians would donate one month’s salary to the Punjab Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. The funds, he said, will be directed towards immediate assistance for families hit by the deluge.
Relief work has also drawn support from people beyond the party. “From across the country, citizens are reaching out to help Punjab,” Kejriwal noted, adding that the mobilisation shows a collective effort to support the state during the disaster.
