Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal seeks ban on exit polls
Chandigarh, Mar 9: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal sought a ban on exit polls from the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday.
His demand came after a number of exit polls predicted that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to form the next government in Punjab, which witnessed a multi-cornered electoral contest on February 20.
The counting of votes will be taken up on Thursday.
"Opinion & #ExitPolls are now a scam that amounts to electoral malpractice through bags of govt money to subvert free & fair poll. Exit polls show an unethical collusion between Satta & TV Channels. I urge EC to step in to stop this subversion of democracy with money power," Badal said in a tweet.
He exuded confidence that the SAD, which fought the polls in a tie-up with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), would form the next government in Punjab and said the top priority for the alliance after coming to power would be to revamp the health and education sectors in the state.
"SAD-BSP will revamp education & healthcare as top priority as we look confidently to form govt. We have a vision to take Punjab into the era of world class social & material infrastructure & human resource development. Punjabis deserve clean, sensitive & visionary governance," the former deputy chief minister said in another tweet.
Badal had earlier claimed that the SAD-BSP alliance would win over 80 of the 117 Assembly seats in the state.
He also slammed Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for not offering "help" to the students from Punjab who were stranded in war-hit Ukraine.
The SAD leader took a dig at Channi for his "goat milking gimmick" and asked him to come out of the "nautanki" (theatrics) mode.
"I urge @CHARANJITCHANNI to come out of nautanki mode & attend to governance at least for the remaining few hours at his disposal. His goat milking gimmick instead attending to people's problems till his last minute at office sums up how Cong reduced governance to a joke in Pb," he wrote on Twitter.
"Shocking! Our students battle grave odds in Ukraine, but @CHARANJITCHANNI has no time away from his gimmicks to help them. Why no officers sent to help students arriving in #Ukraine's neighbouring countries nor travel arrangements made for those arriving on their own?" he asked.
During a visit to the Bhadaur Assembly segment on Tuesday, Channi had milked a goat on the roadside.
Opinion & #ExitPolls are now a scam that amounts to electoral malpractice through bags of govt money to subvert free & fair poll. Exit polls show an unethical collusion between Satta & TV Channels. I urge EC to step in to stop this subversion of democracy with money power. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/sd6RipMEaN
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) March 9, 2022
I urge @CHARANJITCHANNI to come out of nautanki mode & attend to governance at least for the remaining few hours at his disposal. His goat milking gimmick instead attending to people's problems till his last minute at office sums up how Cong reduced governace to a joke in Pb. 2/4 pic.twitter.com/06Jh1odlwc
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) March 9, 2022
Shocking! Our students battle grave odds in Ukraine, but @CHARANJITCHANNI has no time away from his gimmicks to help them. Why no officers sent to help students arriving in #Ukraine️'s neighbouring countries nor travel arrangements made for those arriving on their own? 3/4
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) March 9, 2022
SAD-BSP will revamp education & healthcare as top priority as we look confidently to form govt. We have a vision to take Punjab into the era of world class social & material infrastructure & human resource development. Punjabis deserve clean, senstive & visionary governance. 4/4 pic.twitter.com/7rAp22q2W4
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) March 9, 2022
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India will ensure zero casualty during heat waves: Shah
Ghaziabad (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said his ministry has prepared a plan to ensure zero human casualty during heat waves in the country in the next few years with the underlying principle of being "proactive" rather than "reactive" towards disasters.
The minister spoke after he presented the President's Colour to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) at the campus of its 8th battalion here.
The President's Colour flag is awarded to a military or police unit for rendering exceptional service.
The honour came to the force in the 20th year of its establishment after it was raised in 2006 as a federal contingency force to undertake relief and rescue operations during natural and man-made disasters.
The President's Colour is not just a "recognition" for the excellent services of the NDRF but also of all the state disaster response forces, the state machinery, the NCC (National Cadet Corps), NSS (National Service Scheme), 'Apda Seva Mitras' (volunteers) among others, Shah said.
He added that the NDRF has earned the "admiration and trust" of the people of the country and even abroad through its operations.
The minister said the aim of the Modi government was to ensure "zero casualty and minimum property damage" during tragedies and calamities, including cyclones, earthquakes and floods.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has prepared a plan to better combat the "serious challenge" of heat waves in the country and we will be able to ensure "zero casualty" in this context over the next few years, Shah said.
Our approach and policy has been "proactive" against disasters rather than being just "reactive", he said.
Shah said India has made its name as a "global leader" in disaster management and being the "first responder" during calamities as he asked the NDRF to prepare itself in the face of global warming and climate change.
The NDRF has 16 operational battalions deployed across the country with an overall strength of about 18,000 personnel.
Speaking during the event, NDRF Director General (DG) Piyush Anand said the force has undertaken more than 12,000 operations since its creation.
