Chandigarh: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Monday visited various flood-hit villages in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts of Punjab.
The senior Congress leader, Rahul, however, was stopped from visiting village Toor across the river Ravi by the local police and officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) because of safety concerns.
He first paid obeisance at the Gurdwara Baba Budha Sahib, in Ramdas Ajnala and performed ‘ardas’ there in memory of those who lost lives and for the welfare of all Punjabis.
The senior Congress leader who arrived at Amritsar airport in the morning, was accompanied by party leaders including general secretary in charge Bhupesh Bhagel, state president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and other senior leaders including Partap Singh Bajwa and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
He was briefed by the party leaders about the extent of damage and devastation caused in Punjab due to the floods. They also brought to his notice the negligence of the state and Central governments, which, they alleged, added to the devastation.
Interacting with the flood hit victims, he inquired about their immediate needs and concerns. Majority of people living along the riverbanks, whose houses have been damaged, wanted immediate compensation for their houses.
The senior Congress leader assured people that he will raise their issues at relevant quarters and would press for more and adequate relief to the victims.
A party statement said that Rahul had to cancel his visit to the village Toor across the Ravi, which remained cut off during the floods. Though he had reached village Makora Pattan for onward journey by boat to village Toor, he could not go, as the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had received a telephone call from the union Home Minister Amit Shah requesting him that Gandhi should avoid crossing the flooded river for safety concerns.
It may be recalled that on September 9, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also visited flood-ravaged areas of the state and announced a financial assistance of Rs 1600 crore for Punjab in addition to the Rs 12,000 crore already in the state’s kitty.
