Feature
Mulayam steps in to check power tussle in UP’s ruling Samajwadi party
New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had to step in on Wednesday to check the growing rift within the “family” and state government over a “power tussle” between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav — with crucial assembly elections slated for early next year.
To find a solution of the present crisis, Mulayam has convened a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board on Thursday in Lucknow.
Mulayam summoned both Akhilesh and Shivpal to Delhi after their conflict went public, but Akhilesh didn’t turn up while Shivpal held discussions with his elder brother and his son Aditya Yadav for more than three hours.
What transpired between Mulayam and Shivpal was not immediately clear but it was evident that “Netaji” had a tough task ahead to find an amicable solution to the apparent family feud.
In Lucknow, Akhilesh tried to downplay the matter, saying his conflict with uncle Shivpal was a “sarkari ladai” (government battle), not a family feud.
Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of an event at his official residence, Akhilesh said: “This is a tussle in the government, not the family.”
The Chief Minister quickly added that he always did what Samajwadi Party leader and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav told him to do.
“I generally go by what Netaji tells me but, yes, I do take some decisions on my own,” he said, in an apparent explanation of his action of late Tuesday when he divested Shivpal Yadav of plum portfolios.
Akhilesh Yadav added that Mulayam Singh Yadav was the tallest leader in the ruling party and everyone in the family adhered to what he said.
Akhilesh Yadav’s comments came as Shivpal Yadav flew to New Delhi to meet party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Earlier, addressing his supporters in Safai, Shivpal Yadav said it was the Chief Minister’s right to take or give portfolios.
Asked if he would resign from the Samajwadi Party, Shivpal Yadav said he would take a decision only after meeting Mulayam Singh.
“Netaji jo faisala lenge, vo humme sweekar hai (I will accept any decision taken by Mulayam Singh). The people of the state are with Mulayam Singh and Samajwadi Party,” Shivpal Yadav said.
Meanwhile, Akhilesh in an indirect reference to Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh, who was recently taken back to the party fold, said there were “some outsiders” who were trying to influence the government decisions.
How can a government run under such circumstances, he asked.
Amar Singh said that Akhilesh was like a son to him, adding that he won’t get provoked by the media poking.
“Aap kitna bhi kahein Akhilesh ne yeh kaha hai, main man-ne ko tayar nahi. Aajtak usne vyaktigat roop se mere baare mei ek shabd tak nahi kaha,” Amar Singh said.
He also negated all rumors doing the round that he might be the reason for the rift between Akhilesh and Shivpal.
“If Mulayam Singhji says I am the culprit, I will accept it,” he told reporters.
The entire episode was triggered after Akhilesh Yadav had sacked two ministers — Gayatri Prajapati (Mining) and Rajkishore Singh (Panchayati Raj) — considered close to Mulayam Singh and Shivpal Yadav on Monday.
Akhilesh also removed Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal, who was also known to be close to Shivpal Yadav, on Tuesday.
Akhilesh was then removed as state party chief and replaced by uncle Shivpal Yadav.
Akhilesh in turn divested Shivpal of plum portfolios in the state cabinet.
Prajapati also met Mulayam on Wednesday in New Delhi for over an hour.
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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