BCCI gives grand welcome to Pak players; right-wing social media users slam fans for supporting them
New Delhi: Ever since the Pakistan Cricket Team arrived in India earlier last month to take part in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, it has been subjected to multiple controversies with news anchors and right-wing social media users repeatedly scrutinizing their activities and the local support they have been receiving.
Pakistan arrived in Hyderabad and played their practice games there before beginning their World Cup campaign at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium there.
But apart from the Pakistan players, the fans supporting them have also been subjected to scrutiny on social media by the right-wing users and have been slammed for supporting their arch rivals both on-field and geopolitically.
Fans especially from Hyderabad, have been slammed by these users, giving their support a communal angle and it has been used to spread hate and anger among the people of the country against them. During Pakistan’s match against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad, when the DJ played “Jeetega bhai jeetega” fans erupted with roars of “Pakistan Jeetega” which did not go down well with right-wingers who labelled the support as supporting of terrorists and terror promoters.
Several prominent figures also commented on the issue and went as far as to call for sending these fans to Pakistan and boycotting them. One of the extremist social media users who goes by the name of Bala, who is also followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is seen repeatedly spreading hate messages and misleading information, also tweeted on Thursday and wrote “Look at the desperation of Hyderabadi Muslims seeking validation from Pakistani players. He says “Rizwan sir, Rizwan sir, we love Pakistan” The greatest irreversible damage that Gandhi and Nehru did to Bharat was the non-transfer of 100% of the population during Partition.”
Meanwhile the BCCI headed by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah accorded a grand welcome to the Pakistan team when it arrived in Ahmedabad, Gujarat where it is scheduled to play India on Sunday. They were welcomed by dancers dancing on the tunes on Bollywood numbers.
The move received severe backlash and users slammed the right-wingers for the hypocrisy.
Earlier, when Pakistan had arrived at Hyderabad, the locals had gathered at the airport to welcome the team which was also criticized by right-wing news anchors and users for welcoming Pakistan.
The BCCI has also scheduled grand set of programs ahead of the India vs Pakistan match that has also sparked controversy. The BCCI did not accord an opening ceremony to the ICC ODI World Cup and has asserted that several Bollywood stars, will perform and attend the program before India vs Pakistan match. Critics have slammed the BCCI and Jay Shah for glorifying India vs Pakistan match while right-wingers backed by his father and the BJP are playing hypocrisy on social media to slam enthusiastic fans of the sport.
Look at the desperation of Hyderabadi Muslims seeking validation from Pakistani players.
— BALA (@erbmjha) October 12, 2023
He says “Rizwan sir, Rizwan sir, we love Pakistan”
The greatest irreversible damage that Gandhi and Nehru did to Bharat was the non-transfer of 100% of the population during Partition. pic.twitter.com/8g4DvT3sFg
Look at the desperation of BJP in Gujarat seeking validation of pakistani players
— Ayush Jain (@aestheticayush6) October 12, 2023
They are dancing "Jogira ta ra ra ra"
The greatest irreversible damage that Gandhi and Nehru did to Bharat was not crushing RSS-ISI collaboration since 1947.https://t.co/6Yz3UpzDqM
Look at the desperation of BJP in Gujarat seeking validation of pakistani players
— Ayush Jain (@aestheticayush6) October 12, 2023
They are dancing "Jogira ta ra ra ra"
The greatest irreversible damage that Gandhi and Nehru did to Bharat was not crushing RSS-ISI collaboration since 1947.https://t.co/6Yz3UpzDqM
Flowers are being showered on Pakistani players in Gujarati Hotel.
— زماں (@Delhiite_) October 12, 2023
- Whereas if the same had happened in Hyderabad then Godi media would be raising questions on the People there.
- By now they would have declared the city a Traitor. pic.twitter.com/QGHuoEdKN7
Grand welcome given to Pakistani cricketers in India, did you hear it wrong ? No it’s in Modi Ji’s Ahmedabad!
— Vijay Thottathil (@vijaythottathil) October 12, 2023
Will Sanghi’s call them also Paki’s like they called crowd in Hyderabad who supported Pak team ?? pic.twitter.com/dqSYuHcp3h
When the crowd in Hyderabad responded to the DJ's sloganeering with "Pakistan jeetega", IT Celliyas labelled the whole crowd 'anti-national.'
— PuNsTeR™ (@Pun_Starr) October 12, 2023
Now Pakistan team is in Ahmedabad and BCCI has organized a grand welcome for them with girls dancing and showering them with flowers.
Is… pic.twitter.com/rZ21k2gb0w
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Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
