Hardik Pandya gets booed again as chants of 'Rohit… Rohit' fill Wankhede Stadium
Mumbai, Apr 1: There was no letup in crowd hostility towards Hardik Pandya with fans booing the Mumbai Indians skipper as he walked out for toss in their IPL match against Rajasthan Royals on Monday, even as chants of 'Rohit… Rohit' reverberated across the Wankhede Stadium.
But, with the bat in his hand, Pandya managed to get the crowd on his side, quickly turning the jeers into cheers with half a dozen boundaries during a 21-ball 34, which lifted his team from 20/4 to 76/5 in the 10th over, when his entertaining knock came to an end.
In fact, the cheers from around the ground were as loud as any when Pandya smashed his first four, a far cry from the evening's hostile reception.
The 29-year-old Pandya, who replaced Rohit as the captain of the Mumbai Indians in the lead-up to the tournament, has already been subjected to crowd's anger over the franchise's decision regarding leadership during the team's previous two away games at Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
Pandya was booed by a section of the crowd before the toss when he was doing rounds of the field as a warm-up exercise.
The flamboyant all-rounder was then booed again when his named was announced at the time of the toss, to which Pandya only smiled as loud chants in support of the former Mumbai skipper Rohit filled the venue.
The jeers continued as Pandya began speaking after losing the toss to Rajasthan Royals' skipper Sanju Samson, forcing presenter Sanjay Manjrekar to ask the crowd to "behave".
Right at that moment, Rohit, in his training kit, was meeting his former teammate Harbhajan Singh who was at the field as one of the commentators doing the pre-match show.
If the relentless booing was not enough, Pandya again found himself at the receiving end of crowd's displeasure, especially from the Sachin Tendulkar stand when he walked out to bat with his team reeling at 20/4 in the fourth over.
"The day Hardik wins a game for MI by contributing big, he'll walk into the Wankhede to a hero's welcome! Wankhede will soon chant 'Navratri maa Daandiya, Wankhede maa Pandya'," said Nish Navalkar, a member of the 'North Stand Gang' at the iconic venue.
Additionally, as per officials here, the fans were allowed inside the stadium only after their banners were confiscated due to an election commission directive given to the Mumbai police.
However, there was an element of miscommunication as well as misinterpretation since the directive was about not allowing political banners but fans complained on social media about all banners being taken away.
There were, nevertheless, a few fans who were able to carry their banners inside.
Chants for Rohit and Boos for Hardik Wankhede crowd really won pic.twitter.com/VxrxpVNstY
— Monk. (@Itsmonk_45) April 1, 2024
Huge cheer for Rohit Sharma outside the Wankhede stadium. 🔥pic.twitter.com/L9orlUv7NG
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 1, 2024
Sanjay Manjrekar asking Mumbai crowd to behave as Pandya gets booed in Wankhede.
— Harsh Tiwari (@harsht2024) April 1, 2024
Mumbai fans aren't still accepting Pandya as their Captain.#MIvsRR #RohitSharma#HardikPandya pic.twitter.com/Kj6q4h9gLc
Rohit Rohit chants in Wankhede stadium Mumbai.
— Nisha (@NishaRo45_) April 1, 2024
Rohit Sharma is bigger than IPL 🐐 pic.twitter.com/9iw9Ow6xHm
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PM Modi wants to take away reservation, says Rahul Gandhi at Telangana rally
Hyderabad (PTI): Mounting his attack on the BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was against reservations and wanted to take away quotas from the people.
Addressing an election rally at Nirmal under Adilabad (ST) Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana, he claimed that the ongoing general elections is taking place between two ideologies in which Congress is trying to safeguard the Constitution, while the BJP-RSS combine wants to end it and people's rights.
"Narendra Modi ji is against reservation. He wants to take away reservations from you. The biggest issue before the country is increasing reservation from 50 per cent," he added.
The Congress has in its manifesto promised that if the party forms the government at the Centre, it will breach the 50 per cent limit and increase the quotas beyond 50 per cent, he said.
BJP leaders also want reservations to end, he claimed.
Alleging that Modi privatised the public sector, Gandhi said the contract system implemented by the BJP-led government amounts to removing reservations.
"We will remove contract systems in government offices and the public sector. Permanent jobs would be available, not temporary jobs," he said.
"Narendra Modi has never said in his speeches till today that he will remove the 50 per cent barrier of reservations," Gandhi said.
He claimed that BJP leaders have told the countrymen that if their party wins elections, they will change and finish the Constitution.
"If the Constitution is finished, reservation will end," he said.
The BJP wants backward classes, dalits, adivasis remain backward, he alleged.
PM Modi waived off loans to the tune of Rs 16 lakh crore of about 22-25 people. "Rs 16 lakh crore means MNREGA money of 24 years, Narendra Modi ji gave to 22 people," he claimed.
The 22 rich people have money equivalent to what 70 crore Indians have. "The Congress is going to change this," he said.
Observing that the Congress government in Telangana implements poll promises like free travel for women in state-run buses, Gandhi said his party, if it comes to power at the Centre, would implement similar 'guarantees' across the country.
He said a list of poor families in the country would be taken up and Rs one lakh per annum would be deposited in the bank account of a woman from every family.
Noting that more than 90 per cent of the population comprises backward classes, adivasis, minorities and the poor in the general category, the Congress leader said they don't have a place in any organisation in the country.
The caste census proposed by the Congress would change the politics of the country because such poor and 90 per cent of people would come to know about their population and share, he said.
"We will make a survey of every organisation in the country. We will find out how much money the backward classes, dalits, adivasis and the poor have. After the caste census, there will be new politics in Telangana and in the country," he said.
The Constitution should be safeguarded and reservations should be increased, Gandhi said.
The incumbent government of the rich should be dislodged from power and the government of the poor, farmers, dalits and others should be installed, he added.
