Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian on Thursday hit out at Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, accusing him of insulting him with a remark that questioned his very identity.
At a press conference in Punjab Bhawan this morning, the Sahnewal MLA said Jakhar had belittled him with the words “Kon Mundian, ohnu kon janda” (Who is Mundian, who even knows him). “If BJP leaders don’t even know who is in the government and what portfolios they hold, how can they claim to understand what is happening in the state?” Mundian asked.
Mundian, who holds the Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management, Water Supply & Sanitation and Housing and Urban Development portfolios, said he had spoken up during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Punjab visit only to demand greater relief for flood-hit farmers and displaced families. “My demand was simple—better compensation for the people who lost their homes, crops and livelihoods. A leader of Jakhar’s stature should not be using such language against someone who was only voicing the pain of the people,” he said.
The minister stressed that his department has been working tirelessly to provide relief and rehabilitation in affected districts. “Our appeal was not political, it was humanitarian. Punjab has suffered severe devastation and we expect empathy and support from all quarters, not mockery,” he added.
Jakhar, however, has escalated his attack on the AAP-led government, alleging mismanagement and inflated damage assessments. He claimed the state “misled the Centre with exaggerated figures” to extract more funds, insisting that the Rs 1,600 crore package announced by the Prime Minister was based on actual ground reports rather than the “inflated claims” submitted by the Mann government.
The clash comes at a time when flood relief has already become a political flashpoint in Punjab. The AAP government has been pressing for a far bigger package, Congress leaders have branded the Centre’s announcement as “peanuts,” while BJP has accused the state of playing politics instead of ensuring transparency in rehabilitation efforts.
With Mundian publicly taking offence to Jakhar’s “Kon Mundian” comment, the row has intensified the ongoing blame game, underscoring how disaster relief has turned into a political battleground rather than a unifying cause for Punjab’s recovery.