With the Southwest monsoon arriving, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh conducted a ‘Maharudra Hawan’ to pray for the state’s protection and the well-being of its people. Rajya Sabha MP Sikander Kumar, after attending the ceremony in Shimla, highlighted the state’s history of severe natural disasters, especially in Mandi, Kullu, and Chamba districts. The ‘Maharudra Hawan’ aimed to seek divine blessings for Himachal Pradesh and the nation to shield them from future calamities.
During recent disasters, BJP workers actively supported affected families, offering relief and aid at various levels. Sikander Kumar emphasized the party’s commitment to assisting people during crises, contrasting it with what he described as a lack of effective leadership and support from the Congress government. In Punjab, where rivers from Himachal Pradesh often cause flooding during the monsoon, BJP’s Punjab unit President Kewal Singh Dhillon appointed senior party members to assess last year’s flood-affected areas.
The appointed leaders, including legislators and former MPs, will visit districts hit by floods, accompanied by respective district presidents. Their objective is to engage with affected families and locals to understand flood-related challenges, relief efforts, and rehabilitation progress. These leaders will compile detailed reports for the party leadership, highlighting local issues and any deficiencies in disaster preparedness. Responding to accusations from the Himachal government regarding bias in disaster aid distribution, Sikander Kumar stressed the state’s responsibility to effectively advocate for its needs before the Union government.
He noted the consistent efforts of Himachal Pradesh’s BJP MPs in Parliament to address the state’s concerns and secure maximum support. Sikander Kumar criticized attributing the state’s administrative and financial challenges to the Union government, labeling it as an attempt to deflect attention from the failures of the Congress-led state government. Last year, Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal had proposed a resolution in the Vidhan Sabha, requesting a special relief package of Rs 20,000 crore for flood-affected individuals, farmers, and infrastructure repair across the state.
The floods in 2025 were described as more devastating than those in 1988, impacting over 2,300 villages, affecting nearly 20 lakh people directly, destroying crops on more than five lakh acres, and displacing seven lakh individuals. Following last year’s monsoon havoc, Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu declared the state a disaster zone due to extensive damage from cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides. The monsoon season resulted in significant loss of life, with 320 fatalities and damage exceeding Rs 3 lakh crore.
