SAD to boycott vice presidential poll in wake of floods in Punjab

Chandigarh, Sep 8 (PTI) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday evening said it will boycott the vice presidential poll on Tuesday in the wake of floods in Punjab.

Former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal is the lone SAD MP from Bathinda.

In a post on X, SAD wrote, "Punjab and Punjabis have always stood by the nation whenever and wherever there has been a crisis. But today Punjabis themselves face a very severe crisis because of unprecedented floods. Almost one-third of the state lies submerged under water with houses and crops completely destroyed." Referring to the floods, the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led party alleged that it is a "man-made" tragedy caused by AAP government's "negligence and incompetence".

"Neither the state government nor the Centre have come forward to help Punjabis in any way. The crisis is being fought by Punjabis in general and Sikhs in particular without any help from the state or the Centre," it said in the post.

The party stated that the rural youths of the state are at the forefront of this fight against floods in a spirit of religious dedication guided by the "Guru Sahiban's" grace and inspiration.

"The Shiromani Akali Dal bows its head before their spirit and commitment. Shiromani Akali Dal is fully engaged in helping our people. When Punjab is facing this tragedy, the country goes to the vice presidential election tomorrow. But the people of Punjab are very upset and angry with the state govt and the central govt because neither Punjab govt nor the central govt nor the Congress, has come to help them," it alleged.

"The Shiromani Akali Dal represents the sentiments and the voice of the people of Punjab. Therefore, the party has decided to BOYCOTT this vice presidential poll tomorrow," it said in the post.

The election for the post of vice president was necessitated following the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21.

Punjab is currently facing one of its worst flood disasters in decades. The floods are a result of swollen rivers the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi along with seasonal rivulets caused by heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

Besides, heavy rains in recent days in Punjab also intensified the flood situation, aggravating the challenges faced by residents. PTI CHS MNK MNK