Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal has stepped up relief operations in flood-affected areas of Punjab, combining direct aid with an on-ground presence that has struck an emotional chord with villagers. His large-scale distribution of thousands of litres of diesel, tonnes of maize fodder for livestock, and lakhs of rupees in financial support has not only brought immediate help to affected families but has also unsettled his political rivals, who are struggling to keep pace with the optics of his outreach.
Badal has toured villages in Amritsar, Ferozepur and Jalandhar, Muktsar Sahib over the past week, personally supervising relief convoys and listening to people’s accounts of loss.
Badal donated 100 truckloads of maize fodder in Muktsar Sahib for livestock in flood-hit areas.
In one Amritsar village, an elderly farmer clasped his hands as trucks carrying maize silage rolled in. “Our cattle had gone without feed for days. We had lost hope of saving them. This fodder is like oxygen,” he said, his voice breaking. In Jalandhar, a young farmer stood beside his half-submerged paddy field and remarked, “Without the diesel, I could not even think of draining this water. This support means survival.”
The scenes have been repeated in village after village — queues of residents for wheat, relief in the eyes of farmers as pump sets are distributed, women carrying bags of foodgrain back to their homes. Party workers said cash assistance in lakhs has also been handed out to families whose homes and stored grain were washed away. For people who feel official relief has been slow to arrive, the immediacy of this support has carried deep emotional weight.
Badal has coupled these relief efforts with calls for long-term measures. He has demanded a ₹20,000-crore special relief package for Punjab and a complete farm loan waiver, while insisting that permanent concrete bundhs be built to protect flood-prone areas. “Relief cannot end with one-time compensation. Unless we put preventive measures in place, these tragedies will repeat,” he told villagers in Ferozepur.
The sustained nature of the SAD’s campaign has started to create visible political ripples. In Chandigarh, senior observers noted that Badal’s relief strategy is leaving the ruling establishment anxious. “The Akalis are not just talking — they are showing trucks of fodder, drums of diesel and wads of cash. That kind of visual evidence resonates with villagers and gives tachycardia to his opponents,” said a political analyst.
With government compensation yet to fully reach many areas, comparisons are inevitable. Villagers often contrast the Akali relief with official announcements that remain on paper. This contrast has amplified the impact of Badal’s campaign, lending it both humanitarian and political weight.
As SAD workers continue their distribution drives, reports of trucks loaded with silage, diesel tankers, and packets of wheat arriving in interior villages keep surfacing on local networks. The party has indicated that the operations will not stop until affected communities regain a degree of stability.
For people in Punjab’s flood-ravaged belt, the immediate concern remains rebuilding homes and salvaging crops. But in the political arena, Sukhbir Badal’s ongoing relief drive has already shifted the narrative. What began as humanitarian assistance has turned into a powerful show of presence, one that has brought comfort to many villagers while giving sleepless nights — and tachycardia — to his rivals.
