Feature
Amit Shah slams Mamata, calls Bengal centre of anti-national acts
Addressing his first rally here a day after being re-elected as the BJP president, Shah raked up the multi-crore-rupee Saradha scam as well as the 2014 blast in Burdwan’s Khagragarh and the recent violence in Malda to hit out at Chief Minister Banerjee and her Trinamool.
“While the world knows her as the chief minister of Bengal, those involved in the chit fund know her as a painter and they liked her painting so much that they bought it for crores of rupees.
“Mamata ji thinks people are gullible. But they know why your painting was bought at such a high price. It’s your nexus with the chit fund operators,” said Shah.
“Bengal, from where industry began, was the hub of the country’s economic activities, now all industries here have closed down but for one. Mamata ji, you have kept alive only the chit fund industry,” he said.
“Didi, 17 lakh families want to ask where the money from Saradha and Rose Valley have gone,” said Shah, referring to the two scams which ruined thousands of families, mostly from rural areas of Bengal and neighbouring states.
Shah’s blistering attack comes just days after union Home Minister and former BJP chief Rajnath Singh lambasted the Banerjee government, saying “none including police were safe in Bengal”.
While Rajnath Singh during his January 21 public rally was silent on the Saradha scam, Shah focused more on the financial issue that saw a huge war of words between the then BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Banerjee during the 2014 Lok Sabha poll campaign.
Referring to the October 2, 2014, blast in Khagragarh, whose probe led to the busting of a terror module of Bangladeshi militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, and other bomb explosions in the state, Shah wondered why was there a Trinamool link to all such incidents.
“Is this a coincidence that every time there is a blast here, be it Khagragarh, Birbhum or any place, the house or those killed have links to the Trinamool? Is this a coincidence? No. It is actually because your party is involved,” said Shah.
“Mamata ji, for the sake of vote-bank politics, you have turned Bengal into a centre of anti-national activities,” said Shah, describing Bengal as the gateway of entry of fake Indian currency notes.
Referring to several attacks on police, including the January 3 violence in Malda’s Kaliachak where a rampaging crowd attacked a police station and torched several vehicles, Shah claimed the morale of the police force has hit rock bottom.
“Because of your vote-bank politics, the morale of the entire police force in the state has hit rock bottom,” said Shah, rubbishing Banerjee’s claims that the Malda violence was a struggle between the BSF and the locals.
Stating that the Trinamool government has failed in all aspects, Shah urged people to bring the BJP to power in the state to effect real change.
“Instead of bringing in change, Mamata ji, you have taken Bengal only to the path of decline,” said Shah.
Charging the Trinamool government with a”rolling out the red carpet for the Bangladeshi infiltrators”, Shah said if the BJP came to power, “not a single infiltrator would dare to enter India”.
Blaming the Congress, the CPI-M led Left Front and the now ruling Trinamool of taking Bengal to destruction, Shah said only the BJP can usher in development as it pursued politics of development and nationality instead of indulging in vote-bank appeasement.
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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