Feature
Mayawati threatens to quit Rajya Sabha, if not allowed to speak
New Delhi: Things took a serious turn in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday when BSP chief Mayawati said she will quit as Parliamentarian for ‘not being allowed to speak” about atrocities against Dalits and minorities.
She was backed by almost the entire Opposition – many of whom eventually walked out but the Rajya Sabha chair PJ Kurien said that according to the rules, a Parliamentarian can only “ask for a discussion and not give a full speech”.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Mayawati had “insulted the chair” of the Rajya Sabha and must apologies.
On the second day of the monsoon session of Parliament+ , Mayawati attempted to discuss the recent cases of atrocities against Dalits and minorities. She also brought up the anti-Dalit violence in Saharanpur in May during the birth anniversary celebrations of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar.
“Since the time the BJP has come to power, there has been exploitation of the Dalits, the poor, minorities, and backward castes,” the BSP chief said. “The Dalits were suppressed in Saharanpur but the government did not do anything about it. No community is safe in Uttar Pradesh, but the condition of the Dalits is worse,” she said.
Before she could make much headway in discussing the issue, Mayawati was asked to cut short her talk as she had exceeded the three minutes given to her to make her submission. She didn’t like that.
“If I’m not allowed to speak right now, I will resign right away. I will come and give my resignation right now, ,” Mayawati said. she argued with Kurien asking how she can be prevented from raising the issue about her ‘samaj’ (community).
“I have not finished. You cannot do this. I have no moral right to be in the House if I am not allowed to put across my views on atrocities being committed against Dalits,” said Mayawati whose term in the Rajya Sabha ends next April.
According to media report Kurien tried to placate her, he said she can only call for a discussion after giving a notice under rule 267, which seeks adjournment of proceedings to take up an issue and not make a speech to initiate a discussion. Then, a discussion can begin only after the Chair, on the advise of the government, accepts the notice and agrees for a discussion, Kurien said.
Mayawati wasn’t placated and other Opposition leaders, including the Congress and the Left parties, supported her vociferously.
Congress leader and leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Opposition is being “gagged” and not being allowed to discuss the “discrimination” being faced by Dalits and minorities.
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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