Feature
BJP real kingmaker behind opposition alliance: Gadkari
The BJP on Saturday hit out at the opposition alliance, saying their coming together was because of the “fear” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and claimed that the saffron party was the real “kingmaker” behind the “mahagathbandhan”.
The saffron party, in its political resolution passed here at the last day of the two-day BJP National Convention, said no matter how many parties join the opposition alliance, their defeat is inevitable in the coming Lok Sabha polls and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory was for sure.
“Those, who never wish ‘namaste’ to each other, are today coming together. In fact we are the real kingmaker of their friendship. They have come together due to our fear. They don’t have any principle even though they are making alliances. They are opportunist. They don’t have any shame. Those, whose defeat is evident, want to defeat us. We are courageous people and would ensure their defeat,” Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said while presenting the party’s political resolution.
“No matter how many parties join the opposition alliance. No matter how many baseless allegations they level against us, they are the people indulged in corruption and the politics of casteism. We will defeat them,” he added.
Gadkari slammed the Congress and its President Rahul Gandhi for attacking the Modi-government on the Rafale fighter jet deal and using “foul” languages against the Prime Minister, saying the opposition parties were not able to digest the achievements of the BJP-led government.
“The country is changing. We are the fastest growing economy. The Congress is not able to digest this situation. They are resorting to baseless allegations. The Supreme Court has given a clean chit to the government on Rafale. Nirmalaji (Sitharaman) has spoken at length in Lok Sabha. But despite that the Congress is levelling baseless corruption charges.
“The Prime Minister belongs to no political party. He represents crores of Indians. The way the Congress President has been attacking him, does not behove him. They cannot digest the fact that a man from a poor background, who used to sell tea, has become the prime minister of the country. That is why they are resorting to baseless allegations and this has been thier policy,” he said.
Referring to the government’s major pro-poor initiatives, the former BJP President urged the intellectual class of the society to audit the performance of the Modi government while claiming that what could not be achieved in the last 60 years were achieved in the past four-and-a-half years.
“When the BJP-led NDA government came to the Centre, the country was in bad shape. The corruption was at an all time high. We were among the five fragile countries. There was a non-performing and visionless government.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have transformed the country on many fronts. Social and economic equality were our commitments and we have delivered on these fronts. Without disturbing the reservation for SCs/STs and OBC, we have provided 10 per cent reservation to the the poor and economically backward of upper castes. It was a revolutionary decision,” he said.
The Minister also referred to Triple Talaq Bill, saying that it will ensure justice to “our Muslim sisters”.
Accusing the Congress and its Prime Minister of ruining the poor of the country, Gadkari said that their leaders only gave slogans to remove poverty but did nothing for them except making 20-point agendas.
“Our schemes like gas and power connections, and other reform measures have transformed the life of the poor. The number of people above poverty line has gone up. Over 60 crore people have benefited fron Direct Benefit Transfer scheme. We implemented in letter and spirit what we had said,” he said, adding that the first time country has seen no difference in saying and deeds.
Gadkari also mentioned the Goods and Service Tax and demonetisation as major achievements of the Modi government and urged the party cadres to take a resolve to make Modi the Prime Minister again.
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.
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
Lockdowns in China Force Urban Communities to Defy Censorship and Vent Frustration Online
What monkey fled with a bag containing evidence in it: Read full story
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
