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BJP leader Sadhvi Pragya Thakur says my curse takes life of Hemant Karkare
Bhopal: BJP’s Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate and 2008 Malegaon bomb blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur on Friday sparked off a controversy by saying that Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who lost his life in the 26/11 attack, had died to “her curse”.
The statement by Thakur, who had joined the BJP on Wednesday and was hours later named its candidate against former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh in Bhopal, draw flak from opposition parties like the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, who demanded that that the party apologise for.
At a public meeting in Bhopal, Thakur, recounting the episode of her arrest and interrogation in the Malegaon case, said that she was in a Mumbai jail and the head of the probe had called Karkare and said that she should be released as there was no evidence against her.
“Then Karkare asked me various questions and I replied ‘God knows’. At this, Karkare said would he have to go to God to get the answers. Then, I told him that he would be destroyed and he was cursed… within a month and a half he fell victim to the terrorists’ bullets.
“Hindus believe that that a period of one and a half month after anyone’s birth or death is of ritual impurity. When Karkare asked me these questions, this period started for him and ended with him being killed by terrorists,” she said.
Condemning the comments, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party came out demanding the BJP to apologise for the comment.
Congress leader Sanjay Jha accused Thakur of mocking Karkare’s death.
Sadhvi Pragya sparks controversy by saying my curse takes life of Hemant Karkare:
“I live in Mumbai. We saw 26/11 at close quarters. ATS Chief Hemant Karkare stood up to save us from Pakistani terrorists. He was killed by them. BJP candidate from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur mocks his death,” Jha said in a tweet.
The AAP said the nation is proud of Karkare who laid down his life fighting against the Pakistani terrorists during the 26/11 attack. “BJP must apologize for insulting Hemant Karkare.”
AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal called the comments “disgraceful” and said her comment need to be condemned in strongest terms.
“BJP is showing its true colours and it must be shown it’s place now,” he tweeted.
MIM President Asaduddin Owaisi also questioned the BJP for Thakur’s comment.
“Hemant Karkare died fighting people not very different from yourself. He didn’t die because a terror accused ‘felt bad’ and ‘cursed’ him. The man died fighting to protect our rights to vote and elect a government. How dare BJP insult our martyrs like this?” he asked.
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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