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Shiv Sena praises Rahul Gandhi, says he will become challenge for BJP in LS polls
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena which was former alliance party of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), today showered praises on Congress President, Rahul Gandhi by saying that he will become big challenge for Saffron Party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections that is lined-up in 2019.
This shocking update comes a day after asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to refrain from “ridiculing” Rahul Gandhi for declaring his ambition to become Prime Minister, the Shiv Sena on Friday showered praises on the Congress chief, saying “he poses a challenge to the BJP” in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“This is not the Rahul Gandhi of 2014. He is a changed person now. He has weathered abuse and criticism to emerge intellectually strong.
“He can throw up a serious challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019,” the Sena cautioned in an editorial in the party mouthpieces “Saamana” and “Dopahar Ka Saamana”.
Asserting that “Gandhi has acquired political strength and clout”, the ruling BJP ally pointed out that this was effectively demonstrated in the December 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls.
“The BJP leaders mock him in vulgar language, but Rahul Gandhi has always maintained Modi’s dignity as Prime Minister and never stooped low to criticise him ever.
“This proves that Rahul Gandhi possesses political intellect and culture, which even his opponents would concede,” the Sena added.
However, the Sena wondered why the BJP was running “so scared and indulging in chest-beating” over Gandhi’s desire to become the Prime Minister should his party won.
Shiv Sena shower praises on Rahul Gandhi by saying will poses challenge to BJP in 2019:
“Today, the BJP wants to know how-with a queue of Prime Minister aspirants among the opposition parties — could Gandhi declare himself as a contender for the top post?
“This question should be replied to by the BJP’s senior leaders like L.K. Advani or Murli Manohar Joshi and others,” the Sena said in a veiled reference to the side-lining of the party’s senior leaders under the current dispensation.
It went on to add that ditto was the scenario with the post of President, since many had hoped that Advani at least would be catapulted to the Rashtrapati Bhavan in June 2017.
But finally, Modi and BJP President Amit Shah had their way and they went ahead with their choice without consulting any of the allies and friendly parties, it said, adding how it had proposed the name of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for President.
“So, why is the BJP now demanding that Congress should consult its (UPA) allies before declaring the candidate for the Prime Minister’s post? Let the people of the country decide whether Gandhi is good for them or not,” the Sena said.
The Sena advised the BJP that instead of ridiculing Gandhi, “the BJP should have welcomed his statement and countered it by throwing a challenge to the Congress that it would defeat him in the 2019 battle”.
The Sena reiterated the shabby treatment meted out by the BJP to its allies, and although it came to power with their support, the allies were rewarded “with back-stabbing, damage and destruction”.
“The people will be the final judge whether Gandhi will become the Prime Minister or be dumped. Even Modi was very nice before the (2014) elections. But later on, peoples’ pain and problems continue… The masses are reeling under it like a donkey carrying a heavy load… The only difference is, after each election, the donkey’s master changes,” the Sena concluded.
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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