Feature
Shatrughan Sinha targets Modi, Amit Shah over expectations of people
Patna: Veteran Bollywood actor turned Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Shatrughan Sinha on Sunday said the BJP would be able to live up to the expectations of people only if it ceased to be “a one-man show and a two-man army”.
Sinha said the youth, farmers and the traders were dissatisfied with present policies of the saffron party.
“I feel we face a great challenge in both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh in view of the dissatisfaction among the youth, farmers and traders. We must see the writing on the wall and avoid taking our opponents lightly”, Sinha told media persons here.
Sinha, who is also a Lok Sabha MP, rubbished speculations that he was looking for an alternative to the BJP.
“I had not joined the BJP to leave it. But I would not mince words when I say that we cannot meet our challenges if we continue to be a one-man show and a two-man army,” he said in a clear indication to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah’s hold on the party.
The former Union minister said the party should stay united and fight boldly with the blessings of veteran leaders who have made enormous contributions to its growth.
“I cannot understand the fault of veterans like Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie. Why were they sidelined or allowed to become estranged. We all have been like a family. If there were any mistakes, why were there no efforts at reconciliation?”
Shatrughan Sinha again targets Narendra Modi, Amit Shah over expectations of people:
While Advani and Joshi, both founding members of the BJP, have been made members of the party’s Margdarshak Mandal, virtually signalling the end of their active political life, Yashwant Sinha and Shourie – both former Union ministers – have of late been vocal against the policies of the Narendra Modi government.
Sinha also stressed on the need for “taking an honest look” at the failures” and pointed out that the party should not deny that many lost their jobs after demonetisation.
“The move to ban high-value notes last year has hardly weeded out black money from the system. GST has also come across as a complicated taxation system that seems to have benefitted only Chartered Accountants. Then we have rising oil prices despite fall in international rates of crude,” he said.
The BJP leader also blamed “arrogance” on the part of the party leadership for crises such as the Patidar agitation in Gujarat.
“We failed to win over Hardik Patel who was ideologically closer to the BJP. Had we handled him properly, it would have been a stitch in time which would have saved nine,” he asserted.
Sinha also criticized the BJP government in Rajasthan for proposing a bill that barred the media from reporting on allegations against public servants and lawyers without prior sanction.
“We have more examples which smack of growing arrogance in the party. The bill recently tabled in the Rajasthan Assembly, which could have serious ramifications with regard to the right to freedom of expression, is a case in point”, Sinha added.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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