Mann Overboard

As Punjab faces its worst floods in four decades, the Chief Minister’s conspicuous absence exposes a major leadership vacuum in the state.

Punjab

As Punjab reels from its worst floods in decades, the state’s Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, has been conspicuously absent. Confined to a hospital bed and citing ill health, he has offered social media statements instead of dynamic leadership. While rivers surged and villages drowned, Mann’s inaction left the people of Punjab to navigate the crisis themselves.

The statistics are grim. More than 1,900 villages are submerged, 400,000 acres of cropland are ruined, and over three lakh people have been affected. Cities like Ludhiana struggle not only with swollen rivers but with overflowing sewage and industrial waste. The death toll has climbed to 52, and around 1.91 lakh hectares of farmland lie destroyed. For a state that prides itself on agricultural productivity, these losses are devastating, threatening food supply chains, livelihoods, and long-term economic stability.

Into this vacuum has stepped Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During a day-long visit to Punjab and neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, he conducted an aerial survey of flood-ravaged areas and chaired a meeting in Gurdaspur with officials and local representatives. Modi announced Rs. 1,600 crore in additional financial assistance, compensation for victims’ families, and support for orphaned children under the PM Cares for Children scheme. The central government also moved to advance instalments of the State Disaster Response Fund and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. The Centre’s intervention casts an unflattering light on Punjab’s own administration.

Punjab’s perennial scapegoat, the Bhakra Nangal and Pong dams, incidentally remained largely under control. Instead, the catastrophe was driven by mismanagement of the Ranjit Sagar Dam, which falls directly under the control of the State’s irrigation and power departments. High storage levels ahead of extraordinary rainfall forced emergency releases of water, overwhelming downstream Madhopur barrage gates and submerging villages in Gurdaspur, Pathankot, and Amritsar. Even days after the rains abated, releases continued at high volumes, prolonging the flood crisis. Official justifications that there was “no choice”do little to explain why storage was not lowered earlier or why local communities were not warned.

Political posturing compounded the crisis. The AAP government accused New Delhi of withholding Rs. 60,000 crore owed to the state, while BJP leaders highlighted central relief efforts, including Army, Air Force and NDRF operations. Yet political rhetoric cannot substitute for competent crisis management. Rescue operations, relief distribution and infrastructure repair require planning and decisiveness, neither of which were evident in the days immediately following the deluge.

The Ravi river’s rampage, compounded by swollen tributaries like the Ujh, has revealed a disturbing governance deficit. Punjab’s history of blaming external agencies for floods, typically the BBMB-controlled Sutlej and Beas, has long been a political reflex. This time, the crisis emanated from assets under direct state control, making accountability unavoidable. Local officials admit that high storage was maintained even before the peak rains, exposing the state’s disaster planning as reactive rather than proactive.

Bhagwant Mann’s background as a comedian-turned-politician offers some context. Populism over policy, performance over planning, and optics over outcomes have long defined his style. In moments of genuine crisis, his theatricality is a liability. Leadership, especially in a natural disaster of this magnitude, needs forceful action.

India’s federal structure grants states autonomy, but autonomy without competence is dangerous. Punjab’s citizens are paying the price for a leadership more interested in deflection than delivery. The central government’s financial aid and relief measures may alleviate immediate suffering, but long-term resilience will require reform, planning, and accountability at the state level. The floodwaters will eventually recede, but the political flood of excuses and evasions must be stemmed.

The present crisis is a stark reminder that governance is tested not in prosperity but in adversity. Punjab’s people deserve leaders who confront disasters head-on, communicate transparently and prioritise citizens over optics. Bhagwant Mann’s predicament (whether due to health or convenience) has become a public emergency, highlighting a leadership vacuum that no social media post can fill.