Feature
Modi phenomenon causing sea change in Dalit perception of BJP: Ram Vilas Paswan
New Delhi : There is a “sea change” in the perception by Dalits, backward class and scheduled tribes in the last two years towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) largely due to the pro-active role taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has said.
“The prime minister has been doing enough to reach out to these communities. I find glimpses of (the late Prime Minister) V.P. Singh’s commitments in him. V.P. Singh was a raja and (belonged to) an upper caste but he stood by the backward classes and so Mandal Commission (on reservations). Today Prime Minister Modi goes abroad and names B. R. Ambedkar among the great individuals of India. It only shows his commitment,” Paswan told IANS in an interview here.
Paswan, a strong proponent of reservation politics, who has been also pushing the case of quotas in the private sector, said: “There is no contradiction in the Modi cabinet in enunciation of such demands.”
“The Prime Minister himself is committed to the welfare of the people especially the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes,” he said, adding: “This is clearly reflected in the policies like Stand Up scheme wherein banks have been directed to boost entrepreneurship among SC-STs.”
This initiative alone can provide jobs to at least 2.5 million people from these communities, he noted.
To a question on remarks against reservations by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat last year, Paswan said: “Everyone has said that statement was misinterpreted and was wrong. But Modi-ji said reservations cannot be done away with as long as he is alive. What more do you expect?”
To another question, he said the “lip-service” of those who flaunt their secular credentials is “always politically motivated and mean”.
“Right to life is more important. But the so-called secular government of (Chief Minister) Nitsh Kumar and (RJD chief) Lalu Prasad has failed the people of Bihar,” Paswan contended.
“Jis ma ne beta khoya hae us Ma ko kya kahogey ki aap secular ho (What will you tell the mother who lost her son, that you are running a secular government),” Paswan asked, lashing out at the Bihar administration for its slackness in curbing law and order issues and growing incidents of violence.
“Therefore, I am happy to be with the (BJP-led) NDA than to be with those who pay lip service to secularism and only bring in criminilisation in politics.”
“Look at Jharkhand (once a part of Bihar). It’s in peace. Bihar’s law and order situation is frightening,” Paswan maintained.
He also said the relevance of regional parties cannot be ignored.
“Yes, I am in touch with old regional players like (N.) Chandrababu Naidu (TDP),” he said.
“But the regional politics too have grown over the years. Most regional parties are associated with national parties. The synthesis has grown over the years and all this can strengthen the cause of federalism as is being pursued by the Centre,” he said.
Asked whether popularity of the Narendra Modi phenomenon has taken a beating vis-a-vis the strengthening in the last two years of regional leaders like Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee and J. Jayalalitha, Paswan retorted sharply: “Your theory fails when it comes to election results in Assam. The BJP never had a popular face or great base there. The BJP won the elections in Modi’s name. Earlier, the BJP won key elections in states like Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana.”
To another question, Paswan said his Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) is keen to contest assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh as a constituent of the NDA and so a party delegation will meet BJP president Amit Shah towards this.
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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