'Punjabis will never forgive': Internet explodes in anger as Punjab ministers discuss Sweden, Goa cruises during flood inspection

A flood inspection boat ride in Punjab has turned into an unlikely travel diary after three ministers were caught on camera chatting about luxury cruises in Sweden and Goa, even as villages around them struggled with rising waters.

The 27-second clip, now viral on social media, shows ministers Harbhajan Singh ETO (PWD and power), Laljit Singh Bhullar (transport and hospitality), and Barinder Kumar Goyal (water resources, mining, soil and water conservation) surveying flood damage in the Tarn Taran-Harike belt.

But instead of discussing relief measures, Bhullar is heard recalling his trip to Sweden, where he marvelled at giant cruise ships fitted with hotels and every luxury imaginable. Goyal chips in with a casual, “You get the same in Goa.”



The video, reportedly live-streamed from Bhullar’s Facebook page, was meant to showcase the government’s concern for flood victims. Instead, it looked more like a chat among old friends swapping holiday stories.

Repeated attempts to get a response from the AAP spokesperson went unanswered.

Social media outrage

The backlash was swift. One user fumed: “What a disgrace such leaders are, Punjabis will never forgive such a lack of empathy.” Another said: “Audacity of these so-called rulers. Talking of their fun trips and relating these difficult times in Punjab to cruises in Sweden and Goa. This is not ‘badlav’.”

Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa took a swipe at the ruling party, posting on X: “Flood-hit families in Punjab beg for a glass of drinking water, but Punjab ministers Barinder Goyal, Laljit Bhullar, and Harbhajan Singh found time to relive their golden memories of luxe cruises in Sweden and Goa. What a relief tour.”

For a government already battling criticism over its handling of the floods, this gaffe has only deepened the image problem. What was supposed to be a show of solidarity ended up looking tone-deaf, a “relief tour” that felt more like a luxury travel discussion.

Inputs from TOI