Haryana CM Saini visits old-age home, gaushala to celebrate 56th birthday
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday turned 56 and celebrated his birthday by taking part in several events that included a visit to an old age home and a gaushala.
He began his day by meeting children at the 'Shishu Greh' in Panchkula, where he distributed sweets to young children. Thereafter, he visited an old-age home and sought blessings from the elderly.
After this, Saini reached village Samral in Panchkula district, where he sat among villagers and listened to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio broadcast programme "Mann Ki Baat."
Meanwhile, Saini, along with his wife Suman Saini, visited a gaushala at the Shri Mata Mansa Devi Temple complex in Panchkula. There, he fed fodder to the cows and offered prayers, seeking happiness, prosperity, and welfare of the State, an official statement said.
On the occasion of his birthday, the chief minister received greetings from the country's top leadership and several dignitaries.
According to the Haryana government statement, President Droupadi Murmu, called to extend birthday greetings and wished him good health and a long life.
PM Modi also greeted Saini on the social media platform X, describing him as an energetic leader dedicated to public service.
He wrote that Saini's grassroots experience is proving highly beneficial for the people of Haryana and that under his leadership, the state is continuously progressing on the path of development.
Union Ministers Amit Shah and Manohar Lal Khattar were among other leaders who greeted the Haryana CM.
Meanwhile, at a programme held at Mata Mansa Devi Gaushala in Panchkula, Nayab Singh Saini distributed cheques amounting to over Rs 1.22 crore as fodder grants to 14 gaushalas in the district.
The chief minister and his wife fed the cows fodder and jaggery.
He also performed Gau Pujan (cow worship) on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Saini said that in India, the cow has been revered since ancient times and accorded the status of a mother.
He said that the state government has taken several important steps towards the development of gaushalas, cow protection, and the promotion of natural farming.
Over the past 11 years, registered Gaushalas have been provided Rs. 270 crores as fodder grants, he said.
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Trouble ‘Miyas’ everywhere only then they will leave Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Says “Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP are openly against them, we are saying it openly
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
