Feature
Telangana plans to nail Naidu in cash-for-vote scandal
Hyderabad: With Telangana Home Minister N. Narasimha Reddy claiming that the government has all proof to nail Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the cash-for-vote scandal, all eyes are on the next move of the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The ACB has sought the custody of Telengana’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) lrgislator A. Revanth Reddy, who was arrested on Sunday.
Revanth Reddy was nabbed while offering Rs.50 lakh to a nominated member of the assembly as part of the Rs.5-crore deal to make him vote for TDP-BJP candidate in election to the Telangana legislative council (Upper House).
The investigators are likely to interrogate him about the TDP chief’s alleged role in the scandal. The ACB sleuths may question him about his “boss”, whom he repeatedly mentioned during the talk with nominated MLA. The conversation was recorded on a spy camera.
The Telangana home minister has also claimed that Naidu also spoke to nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson over phone and that police have audio record of the alleged conversation. He also said he has have evidence that Naidu spoke to some MLAs of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
Narasimha Reddy described Revanth Reddy as a “small fry” and said there was a growing demand from public that Naidu should be made the main accused.
“In coming days, there will be dramatic developments,” Narasimha Reddy told reporters in Warangal on Wednesday.
Revanth Reddy, a member of the Telangana assembly and his two aides were arrested by the ACB after laying a trap at the residence of Stephenson, who represents the Anglo-Indian community in the Telangana assembly. The trap was laid on a complaint by the nominated MLA.
The next day, a city court sent Revanth and two others to judicial custody for 14 days.
TRS leaders, including Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter K. Kavitha, a member of parliament, have demanded that Naidu should be made an accused in the case.
Telangana’s Irrigation Minister Harish Rao, who is Chandrasekhar Rao’s nephew, has described Naidu as the mastermind behind the bid to buy votes for the TDP-BJP combine in the council poll.
Information Technology Minister K. Tarakarama Rao, who is son of the chief minister, has said law will take its own course.
“If there is prima facie evidence, there is no reason why Naidu should not be included,” said Tarakarama Rao. He said the ACB will go deep into the case to find out who is the mastermind.
The trap for Revanth Reddy was laid after TRS leaders reportedly got a wind of the attempts being made by Naidu to woo some disgruntled TRS MLAs to vote for the TDP-BJP candidate.
Naidu, who last week was elected the TDP’s national president, wanted to take revenge on the TRS for encouraging defections in the TDP in Telangana. Five TDP lawmakers crossed over to the TRS during last one year.
It was after the TRS learnt about Naidu’s attempt to woo some of its MLAs that Chandrasekhar Rao went to the extent of threatening dissolution of assembly if the TRS failed to win all its five seats to the council. TRS sources said this was a threat to some MLAs who were in touch with TDP leaders.
The YSR Congress Party, the main opposition party in Andhra Pradesh, has demanded that Naidu be made an accused in the case. YSR Congress president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy even met E.S.L. Narasimhan, who is governor of both the states, to make the demand.
The Congress party in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh has demanded a thorough probe into Naidu’s role.
The TDP has hit back at the YSR Congress, saying it entered into a conspiracy with the TRS to target the party.
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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