Here are the top 5 news updates of February 15, 2022:
BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said that once the party is re-elected to power, farmers in Uttar Pradesh will not have to pay electricity bills for the next five years. Addressing a public rally in Uttar Pradesh's Dibiyapur, Shah said, "Holi is on 18th (March), counting is on 10th, bring the BJP government to power on 10th, free gas cylinders will reach your house on 18th of March. No farmer will have to pay electricity bills for the next five years." Exuding confidence for the victory of the BJP in the UP Assembly elections, Shah said that SP has been wiped out from the state after the first and second phases of elections. Taking a jibe at the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Shah said, "Akhilesh asks what have we done? If someone has yellow-coloured glasses, they'll see everything in yellow only... guns and bullets used to be made under Akhilesh's government, now instead of 'goli', 'gole (ammunitions)' is made, to fire against Pakistan."
Rahul Gandhi today asked voters in Punjab not to look at the face of leaders but their actions to understand the "hidden powers" that are at work behind them, as the former Congress president attacked PM Modi and Arvind Kejriwal. Taking on the AAP, he claimed those seeking one chance to form the government will "destroy Punjab" and the state "will burn". Gandhi also targeted former chief minister Amarinder Singh who the Congress leader said was removed by the party last year for hobnobbing with the BJP. Addressing a poll rally at Rajpura, Gandhi again cautioned people against going for any "experiment" in Punjab polls, saying only his party was capable of maintaining peace in the border state.
Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal today slammed the BJP and Congress for getting into "dirty politics" over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security breach in Punjab and said that his party won't indulge in any politics on matters of national and internal security. Addressing a press conference in Ludhiana, Kejriwal said, "BJP and Congress got into dirty politics over the PM's security. We'll not indulge in any kind of politics on national, internal security." He also assured "every Punjabi" that AAP will take responsibility for public safety if voted to power. "If AAP is voted to power, the Punjab government will work with the Government of India to ensure safety and security in the state," Kejriwal said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he has invoked emergency powers to try to quell the protests by truck drivers and others who have paralysed Ottawa and blocked border crossings in anger over the country's COVID-19 restrictions. Trudeau ruled out using the military and said that the emergency measures "will be time-limited, geographically targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address." For the past two weeks, hundreds and sometimes thousands of protesters in trucks and other vehicles have clogged the streets of Ottawa, the capital, railing against vaccine mandates and other virus precautions and condemning Trudeau's Liberal government.
The BSE gauge Sensex zoomed past the 58,000-mark by rebounding over 1,700 points and the Nifty recaptured the 17,000-level today after a massive plunge in the previous session. The 30-share Sensex surged 1,736.21 points or 3.08 per cent to end at 58,142.05 - recouping the losses suffered on Monday. Likewise, the NSE Nifty soared 509.65 points or 3.03 per cent to settle at 17,352.45. On the Sensex chart, all 30 shares closed with gains -- with Bajaj Finance, SBI, Bajaj FinServ, L&T and Titan rising as much as 5.13 per cent.
