Cricinfo reports on a meeting at Matoshree:
Pawar, also president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, was accompanied by current Indian board president Shashank Manohar to Mumbai to meet with Thackeray and his son Uddhav, and the four sat behind closed doors for an estimated two hours. “We presented our viewpoint before Thackeray on this critical issue,” Manohar told reporters. “We tried to convince him that only one or two Australian players will participate in the IPL matches and by not allowing all IPL matches it is the state players [Marathi players] who will lose ultimately.
“We also explained to them the format of the IPL teams and matches and how there were one or two Australian players in each team. Thackeray has asked for a detailed presentation on the issue which we will be providing in couple of days and thereafter he would consider our request.”
How ironic is this? Shashank Manohar hasn’t had to make a similar presentation to the Federal Home Minister to ensure security for his event — but he feels the need to treat an unconstitutional authority — to wit, the head of a regional party whose influence has demonstrably eroded even in its own area of operation — with such deference? And worse, he is accompanied on this mission by a Federal minister, no less, and a colleague of Mr P Chidambaram.
If Pawar, a member of the Federal Cabinet, prefers to deal with those who hold the state to ransom through the threat of violence rather than depend on his own Cabinet colleague and on the home ministry to ensure security within the country, why then should we ordinary citizens trust our security to the government? Maybe all those who are of non-Marathi origin living in Mumbai need to make our own ‘detailed presentation’ to Thackeray, and ask for his protection?
Seriously, just what is it going to take before someone calls the Sena’s bluff?
9 comments
Seriously someone should call this soon and stop this placating nonsense. Pawar is stooping too low esp considering that he is a cabinet minister and one of the most powerful politicians from Maharashtra.
It would have been better for a change if the IPL had indeed been under threat from the Sena. If there were threats that neither the state govt nor the central govt could handle, it would have exposed all parties concerned in their inability to tackle the situation. It would have also helped further erode Sena’s support base in Bombay.
Whatever Pawar is doing now is disgraceful…….
This is what happens when you are ruled by a govt without ‘balls’.
Bizzare, the BCCI is making a presentation to an old blabbermouth for him to give a nod to IPL3, looks like the mother is pampering the insolent child instead of slapping it tight and asking it to behave.
The bigger issue however is politicians being part of cricket governing bodies.
Yes, maybe, but there are other stakes involved. That of the players, say for example. Calling the Sena’s bluff when the stake involved is of Manohar’s or Pawar’s only, is welcome. Why, Rahul G did something like that just a while back. Even SRK and SRT. If the stake involved, however, is of the players esp. foreign nationals, then the situation changes and Pawar and Manohar had been circumspect with reason. Cannot blame them.
Should there be efforts (and stern ones at that) to curb this arm-twisting and holding at ransom at the drop of a hat, on a long term basis? There certainly should be, and the earlier the better. However, not at the expense of players’ security.
“We tried to convince him that only one or two Australian players will participate in the IPL matches and by not allowing all IPL matches it is the state players [Marathi players] who will lose ultimately.”
Am I understanding this correctly? Did the IPL just state it’s position is that Thackeray should relent because it is not only the Australians they are harming?
Sena is doing exactly the same thing that terrorists outfits are doing in Pakistan. Using violence, forcing government to inaction, scaring people……..
I think this is again internal politics, just a few days ago the congress was critical on Sharad Pawar talking nonsense about the prise rise. Pawar might want to show his displeasure on those statements.
Politician’s stunt..
I love my country inspite of its oddities. But what really frustrates me as it does any of my fellow citizens is the fact that any cartoon (or cartoonist) can have a bunch of luchcha goons (called Bhaade ka tattus) and call the shots.
Truly and sadly, nobody in the political arena seems to have the balls to stand up to the Thackerays and its nothing less than a national shame. I wish Kasab and his fellow men could have bombed these morons instead of those innocent people in Taj.
But yeah….I forgot…that means we would have hung him by now and had a Balasaheb Trophy and Balasaheb road implemented. 😛
“If Pawar, a member of the Federal Cabinet, prefers to deal with those who hold the state to ransom through the threat of violence rather than depend on his own Cabinet colleague….”
But what if the same cabinet colleague of Pawar’s is not willing to help solve the issue and put a spanner – indirectly – by not helping (keeping mum when it matters and start a blame game afterwards), what is Pawar supposed to do? Why was IPL played in South Africa last year though we were capable of holding both IPL and Elections at the same time? Pawar is just taking care of his business.
“.. why then should we ordinary citizens trust our security to the government?…”
Extrapolating this to National Security is a bit of stretch.
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