Empty Ujwala Cylinders
The President of India inaugurated the world’s largest cricket stadium just a few days ago. The stadium which was earlier named after Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel has been renamed after Narendra Modi and this led to heated discussions on social media. In the midst of this, the price of gas cylinder that has been increased by Rs 25 at one go did not become news and the people’s anger against this did not go viral at all. About 75 per cent of the people of the country have nothing to do with the stadium as no food can be grown on it nor can the runs scored in cricket matches be used as fuel for cooking food or as manure for growing it.
Cricket is no longer a game these days. It is a huge industry. Those who play and those who make them play are making crores of rupees. In a country where about 80 per cent of people are suffering due to malnutrition, nothing can be achieved through this cricket stadium. Moreover, developed countries such as America and China have not given any importance to cricket. Such countries nurture other sports, win gold medals in Olympics, and attract the world’s attention. It is a crude joke that India that is completely destroyed by lockdown is inaugurating the world’s biggest cricket stadium. In a way, it is appropriate that the stadium has been renamed after Modi. It is actually conveying a message to the world about what is happening in a country like India that is grappling with hunger and where a Prime Minister renames a stadium after his name and celebrates this as a huge feat.
Around the same time, the price of cooking gas (gas cylinder) increased by Rs 25. In the month of February itself, the price of cooking gas increased by over Rs 100. The government that repeatedly talks about how it is providing cylinders to the poor under the ‘Ujwala’ programme has forgotten that gas stoves can’t be lit with empty cylinders as this hike in the price of gas cylinders also applies to the beneficiaries under the ‘Ujwala’ programme. It has already been exposed by the media that the Ujwala programme is bogus. In addition, by taking away the subsidy of the beneficiaries and increasing the price of cylinders, the government has made sure that gas stoves are not lit in the houses of the poor. The country might have to view the renaming of the stadium as a celebration of this by the Prime Minister.
Modi is behaving as though he has nothing to do with the frequent increase in the price of petrol and diesel, the manifold increase of the price of cylinder, and the daily increase in the prices of vegetables and groceries. He is trying to build a separate country for the 10 per cent of people. The world’s tallest statue, the world’s biggest cricket stadium, the bullet train, a park in the name of Shivaji, Ram Mandir in the name of religion are all for this small group of people. Experts are warning that the malnutrition level has touched 80 per cent. The protein intake has reduced substantially. The hands of farmers who were engaged in dairy farming have been tied with laws such as the Sale of Cattle Act. Indians have been stopped from eating beef but beef is being exported. While farmers find themselves on the streets due to the collapse of dairy farming, extensive efforts are being made to deprive the people of meat. In the midst of this, the rising fuel price has made people’s lives hell.
The government is deaf to the people’s anguish. If a demand for the reduction in the prices of petrol is made, the Prime Minister points blames the previous UPA Government for the price rise. The government is not willing to reduce the excise tax on crude oil even though it is well aware that this levy is responsible for the increase in fuel prices despite a fall in crude oil price at the international level. So far, all political parties were reluctant to take on the middle classes. But for the first time, a government is taking policy decisions that work against the poor and middle class and is trying to hoodwink them.
But now the entire country has turned against Modi’s economic policies. As an alternative to the world’s tallest statute and world’s biggest cricket stadium, the world’s largest farmers protest has been taking place in the country. The Prime Minister should understand that the world is evaluating India not through its stadium but through these protests. In this backdrop, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has called for a Bharat Bandh on Friday (February 26) against the fuel price hike and the injustice due to GST. About 40,000 trader organizations have extended their support to the bandh. Perhaps, support on such a scale was not extended in the past to a bandh call. The Modi government should consider this also as its achievement.
The country’s economy is already in doldrums due to the lockdown and this bandh would further leave an impact on the country’s economy. Now, lorry owners have threatened to stop transportation for an indefinite period. If that were to happen, shops would have to be temporarily shut in the absence of the supply of groceries and vegetables. People cannot be cheated for long by giving false assurances. By naming a cricket stadium after him, Modi will not earn an eternity in history. That will happen only by responding to the problems of the poor and the working class. If Modi’s close confidantes don’t educate him about this, there is a danger that his name would be permanently etched in history for destroying the country.
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Riyan Parag likely to be fined 25 percent of match fees for vaping inside dressing room
New Delhi (PTI): Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag is set to be fined 25 per cent of his match fee for bringing the game into "disrepute" after being caught vaping on camera during the IPL game against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur.
Parag's actions during the Royals' chase on Tuesday night drew condemnation on social media.
PTI has learned that on field umpires Tanmay Srivastava and Nitin Menon had not reported the matter to match referee Amit Sharma right after the game. They only did that after seeing visual proof and Sharma found Parag guilty for a code of conduct breach as per the IPL guidelines.
The Level 1 offences carries 25 per cent deduction from match fees and one demerit point.
"He is set to be fined a portion of his match fees and a demerit point for a Level 1 offence," said an IPL source.
The Indian government had banned e-cigarettes back in 2019, prohibiting their production, sale and distribution. As per the law, the offender faces imprisonment up to one year and/or a Rs one lakh fine for a first time offence.
"Article 2.21 of IPL Code of Conduct is intended to cover all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute and which is not specifically and adequately covered by the specific offences set out elsewhere in this Code of Conduct, including Article 2.20," the IPL Code of Conduct states.
"By way of example, Article 2.21 may (depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach) prohibit, without limitation, the following: (a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game.
"When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable and/or accidental, shall be considered.
"Further, the person lodging the Report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lays (with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature (and hence a Level 1 Offence) up to conduct of an extremely serious nature (and hence a Level 4 Offence)."
Since it is a Level 1 offence there was no need for a hearing.
Parag, who has not had the best of times with the bat this IPL, was seen inhaling an e-cigarette, also known as vaping, in the dressing room during the live broadcast of their game against Punjab Kings. Royals won the game to end Kings' unbeaten run in the tournament.
This is not the first controversy to hit the Royals this season. Earlier this month, team manager Romi Bhinder was fined Rs one lakh for breaching PMOA protocol after being found using his phone in the dugout.
IPL and BCCI officials involved in the conduct of the IPL termed it as a careless act in the age of social media and prying TV cameras.
Royals next host Delhi Capitals at home on Friday night.
