Punjab politics just witnessed a comedy show without a stage. The Union Government announced that ₹166 crore will be transferred directly into the accounts of flood victims — no middlemen, no ribbon-cutting ceremonies, and, most tragically for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), no chance to paste posters with smiling leaders claiming credit.For a party that thrives on microphones, banners, and dramatic gestures in the Vidhan Sabha, this development has been nothing short of a political earthquake. Instead of Punjab Government officers distributing cheques in front of cameras, the Centre chose the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) route — straight into victims’ accounts. Imagine AAP leaders rehearsing their press conference speeches, only to discover that the “stage” has been stolen by the Union Government’s bank servers.
The irony is delicious. AAP came to power promising honesty and transparency, but now the Centre says, “Thank you, but we’ll handle the money directly.” It’s as if a landlord tells a tenant, “We don’t trust you to pay the electricity bill, so we’ll pay it ourselves.” That’s not just a policy decision; that’s a credibility verdict.
Meanwhile, in Chandigarh, the ruling party has been left searching for creative ways to claim credit. Maybe a slogan like “Funds may come from Delhi, but the blessings come from AAP” will soon appear on billboards. Or perhaps a press conference declaring, “Had we not demanded, the Centre would not have remembered the floods.” Political imagination has no limits.
The satire writes itself: victims get money in their accounts, while politicians are left empty-handed with nothing but hashtags and hollow speeches. The people of Punjab, however, might be secretly enjoying this rare show — where, for once, relief comes without drama, and the only losers are the ones who wanted to perform politics over tragedy.