Legalising betting in sports worse idea: Congress
New Delhi, July 6: Dubbing betting in sports a worse idea, the Congress on Friday said the Law Commission's recommendation for such a step will turn every shop selling betel leaves into a gambling den.
"Gambling is a bad idea; gambling in sports is a worse idea. And between a bad and a worse idea, I don't think any choice can be made," Congress Spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters here.
"If you legalise betting in sports, you will not only spoil the sports but also turn every 'paan ki dukaan' into a 'juye ka adda'. Does the Modi government want to turn every paan shop in the country into a den for gambling?" he asked.
Tewari's comments a day after the Law Commission in its report recommended that betting in sports, including cricket, should be legalised.
The Commission also recommended that Parliament may also enact a model law for regulating gambling that may be adopted by the states or in the alternative, Parliament may legislate in exercise of its powers under Articles 249 or 252 of the Constitution.
The panel said that gambling/betting be made taxable and could be used to attract foreign direct investment.
"If betting were such a kosher and exalted social activity which could qualify as a virtue, then a substantive number of Indian states would not have banned it," Tewari, a former Union Minister said.
He said that the fact is that betting, whether it is through lottery or other means, had had certain very very negative impacts on Indian society.
"It has impoverished families, it has ruined them, and brought about destitution. There is enough empirical evidence which bears out this reality. We believe that betting will subvert Indian sports, it will create more problems of the kind that we have seen with regard to match-fixing etc," the Congress leader said.
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Integrity of electoral process severely compromised, Cong to soon launch movement: CWC
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Working Committee met here on Friday and adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised against which the party would soon launch a movement.
In the resolution of the top body of the Congress, the party said free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that was being called into "serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission".
The CWC, which met amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, said the session has been a washout so far because of the Narendra Modi government's "stubborn refusal" to have an immediate discussion on three pressing national issues -- "the recent revelations regarding corruption by a business group, and the violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal".
Asked why the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution does not name the business group, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The answer is the Adani group".
"The CWC believes the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission.
"Increasing sections of society are becoming frustrated and deeply apprehensive. The Congress will take these up these public concerns as a national movement," the resolution stated.
Addressing a joint press conference along with Ramesh and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, party general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party discussed the political situation in the country for four-and-half hours and adopted the resolution.
He said the CWC has decided to constitute internal committees to look into electoral performance and organisational matters.
About the Assembly polls results in Maharashtra, Venugopal said the electoral outcome in the state was "beyond normal understanding and it appears to be a clear case of targeted manipulation".
