Who all cursed me for lack of ACs in Paris? Modi shares a laugh with India's Olympians
New Delhi (PTI): Lakshya Sen revealed how his phone was taken away by strict coach Prakash Padukone, hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh talked about his team's thrilling run while everyone shared a good laugh on the air conditioning woes in Paris when Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a reception for the Indian contingent after its fairly decent Olympic campaign.
The Prime Minister hosted the contingent after the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort, where too the athletes were in attendance on Thursday. The video of the interaction was shared by Modi and the athletes could be seen having one-on-one chats with the PM.
In one such conversation with Lakshya, who finished fourth in the men's singles badminton competition, Modi said: "When I met Lakshya for the first time, he was very small but now he has grown up. Do you know, this time you have become a celebrity?
To this, Lakshya replied: "Yes sir. But during matches Prakash Sir took my phone and told me till the matches are over, you won't get your phone. But after that I got to know the support I got.
"It was a learning experience and little heart-breaking as well because I came so close," said the 22-year-old who lost from a position of strength in the bronze playoff.
A laughing Modi instantly said: "Prakash Sir was so disciplined and strict, I will send him the next time as well."
The Paris Olympics were promoted as eco-friendly Games. So, there were no air conditioners in any rooms in the Games village, forcing the sports ministry to dispatch 40 portable ACs on an urgent basis for their comfortable stay.
A laughing Modi asked all the athletes who all cursed him for the situation, to which no one replied.
"There were no ACs and it was hot as well, so I want to know which of you cried first saying 'Modi speaks big but there are no ACs in rooms so what should we do'," Modi said.
"Who all are there who faced most difficulties. But then I learnt that within few hours that work also was done. See, how we try to provide you the best of facilities," the Prime Minister added.
Modi also had a light-hearted chat with Harmanpreet, who opened up on how the team fought back after being down to 10 men for more than 40 minutes in the quarterfinal against Great Britain.
"Just tell me when you to fight with 10-men against Britain, you must have been demoralised from the start, Sarpanch saab, please tell, it was very difficult," Modi asked the India captain, addressing him with his nickname.
Harmanpreet replied: "Yes Sir, it was very difficult because we got the red card in the first quarter but our coaching staff helped us a lot. We visualised every situation because in Olympics anything can happen. The motivation of the team also increased because we have a rivalry with GB (Britain)."
Modi interrupted and laughingly said: "It has been going on for the last 150 years."
Harmanpreet said: "We fought and ended the match 1-1 and won it in shoot-out. It never ever happened in Olympics history (playing with 10 men for 42 minutes and then winning)."
Paris Olympics launch-pad for Indian sports' rise
Modi believes the just-concluded Paris Olympics is going to be a turning point for India. The 117-member Indian contingent returned with six medals, including one silver and five bronze. The count was one less than Tokyo and there was no gold in the tally this time.
But Modi appreciated the efforts of all athletes who represented the country and said their inputs will help in successfully getting the hosting rights of the 2036 Games.
"Those who have returned after losing, please get this out of your mind. You made the country proud and came back after learning something. Sports is one area where no one loses, everybody learns," Modi said.
"I believe Paris Olympics will be a launch-pad for the rise of Indian sports. This is going to be our turning point. After that there will only be wins. We are not going to stop," the Prime Minister added.
The Prime Minister termed the athletes as "India's soldiers of 2036 Olympics".
"India is preparing to host the 2036 Olympics. In this case many athletes who played in the Olympics, their inputs are very important. You might have observed many things there, from Olympics planning to all facilities, from sports management to event management," Modi said.
"Your experiences, your observations, we need to write them down, so in 2036 Olympics all the little things and experiences of yours will help us in preparing for the Games. In one way you are soldiers of 2036 Olympics," he added.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
