Ludhiana, Sept. 5 -- Amid widespread devastation caused by floods across Punjab, BJP state media panelist and former councillor Parminder Mehta on Tuesday resigned from the party, accusing the central government of showing a "step-motherly attitude" towards the state in its hour of crisis.

Mehta said Punjab was facing one of its worst natural disasters in recent years, with almost every district affected by overflowing Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers. While people in flood-hit districts were losing crops worth crores, homes, land, cattle and even lives, he alleged, the Centre had "failed to extend meaningful relief".

"It pained me deeply that central leaders tweeted condolences when Afghanistan was hit by an earthquake and visited Jammu du...