CAIT writes to BCCI opposing IPL title sponsor
New Delhi: Traders' body CAIT on Wednesday wrote to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) raising objections over the Indian Premier League's title sponsor reportedly having stakeholders from China.
In a letter to BCCI President Saurav Ganguly, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said: "We are deeply pained to note that now Dream 11 has been chosen as sponsor of IPL 2020 which has Chinese company Tencent Global as one of the major stakeholders".
"We are of the considered opinion that awarding sponsorship to Dream 11 is nothing but a bye pass route to neglect the sentiments and feelings prevailing among the people of India against China for its regular attempts to invade the interests of India," said CAIT, which is spearheading the campaign to boycott Chinese goods.
Fantasy gaming platform Dream11 on Tuesday won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title sponsorship rights with a bid of Rs 222 crore, replacing Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for a four and a half month deal.
Dream11 has been one of the IPL sponsors for a couple of years now.
Vivo and the BCCI suspended a Rs 440 crore-per-year deal for this season owing to the border stand-off between India and China. The IPL, moved out of India due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, starts on September 19 in the UAE.
There are certain questions about Chinese company Tencent's investment in Dream11, but one of the BCCI insiders privy to the development said that it is less than 10 per cent.
Dream11 is an Indian company founded by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth.
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Actor Esha Gupta returns to India after being stuck in UAE, says it was a ‘tough’ situation
Mumbai (PTI): Actor Esha Gupta on Tuesday said she has safely returned to India after being stranded in the United Arab Emirates amid escalating tension due to the Israel-US attack on Iran.
“Back home. Thank you all for your prayers and wishes. It was very tough to be in the situation we all faced. Truly God’s blessing to be safe,” Gupta said in a statement posted on Instagram.
Tensions in the middle east have escalated following a coordinated offensive launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28. Iran responded by firing drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations across the Gulf, and also at the global business hub of Dubai.
The actor, best known for “Jannat 2”, “Rustom” and “Total Dhamaal”, also recounted the tense atmosphere at the Abu Dhabi airport.
“It started when I was at the airport on the 28th (Saturday). By 1 p.m., the airport was closed, chaos all around as none of us knew what had happened. Then the news started coming of the missile attack, and no one knew what the next minute held for us. Strangers consoled each other, all calling their families back home,” Gupta said.
The actor lauded the “strength” and the “composure” of the Abu Dhabi International Airport staff and added that ground security and airport personnel acted immediately to maintain order.
“I hadn’t checked in myself by then, so I took a turn and left for my hotel in Abu Dhabi,” she said, adding that passengers were provided accommodations at available hotels and highlighting the dedication of hotel staff during such a tense situation.
She further said the hotel management answered all their questions patiently to the best of their ability and that there was no shortage of any service.
“The lobby was full of people, including us, scared due to the security alert, but there was no chaos. The hotel security kept reassuring everyone. Not once did we see the people, all scared internally, create stress; we were all in this together,” Gupta said and even thanked the airline staff for their assistance.
“All this shows just the backbone of a country and its strength; they took action when needed, no blaming anyone, just strong decisions. Thank you to everyone who helped and is helping people of the world get back home. Your country is truly special,” she said.
Gupta concluded her post by thanking everyone who helped ensure her safe return.
“Thank you for our government for providing its citizens with reassurance and working towards getting us all back. Thank you to UAE government in working in solidarity with every country for the citizens of the world,” she said.
Actor Sonal Chauhan also updated her fans and admirers that she is heading back home after being stranded in Dubai.
The actor shared the update through her Instagram Stories with a few videos showing her travelling in a car on her way to the airport, with the song ‘Coming Home’ by Skylar Grey playing in the backdrop.
