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Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticises opposition, but seeks support to run government
New Delhi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reached out to the opposition for its support to run the government smoothly and invoked late Congress stalwarts and prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi for peaceful functioning of parliament.
In his over an hour-long speech, Modi, however, didn’t speak about raging issues like crackdown on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students and death of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad University that had stalled parliament for two days earlier this week.
“Parliament is a forum where different view points are put forward, where questions are being asked to the government, where government is made accountable and nobody is spared,” Modi said, winding up the discussion in the Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks to President Pranab Mukherjee for his Address to parliament.
“And in doing so, it would be great if we uphold parliamentary traditions” and let the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha function “peacefully and responsibly”, he said.
Modi noted this was “not a sermon” but the “words of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi”.
He also recalled the statements of Nehru, Indira and India’s first president Rajendra Prasad and urged the opposition for its support to pass crucial legislations, including the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill.
Modi said the opposition was suffering from an “inferiority complex”. “Some people want to oppose for the sake of it. There are such bright MPs in the opposition, but they are not being allowed to speak. Nobody in the opposition must look stronger and this is the inferiority complex.”
However, at the end of his speech, the prime minister toned down his aggression and sought the support of the Congress and other opposition parties to run the government for the sake of people and the country.
“Let’s walk shoulder-to-shoulder and do something for the country. I am new, you are experienced,” Modi said.
“We need to make an atmosphere of improving trust. If you have suggestions, please do offer. I would like the government to adopt these habits. The government also needs to improve and this would not happen without your support. I need your support. I need you people, your experience.”
In an obvious attack on Rahul Gandhi, Modi returned the barbs the Congress leader had hurled at him on Wednesday in the Lok Sabha over the prime minister’s reluctance to take the opposition on board over various issues.
“Some people learn with age but some don’t,” Modi said.
Modi didn’t name Rahul Gandhi but recalled how he had in 2013 torn before reporters a controversial ordinance of the then Congress government on convicted lawmakers when then prime minister Manmohan Singh was visiting the US.
“The ordinance was torn apart when the then honourable prime minister was in the US to meet (Barack) Obama. Please learn to respect elders,” Modi said as Gandhi listened.
MPs from the BJP and its allies thumped their desks in appreciation even as the opposition booed following Modi’s remark.
With the Congress repeatedly targeting the government over Modi’s earlier opposition to MGNREGA, the prime minister said it was the Comptroller and Auditor General who had punched holes in the implementation of the the flagship rural job guarantee scheme. He said his government was improving its implementation and trying to generate assets under it.
“You have sown the roots of poverty so deep, there is no denying this,” he said, adding sarcastically that if he tries to tackle it, he himself will get uprooted.
He said the opposition criticism is not over our performance but “they are worried because we are doing better”.
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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