‘In celebrating RCB, it's appalling how government has played to gallery'
'In celebrating RCB, it's appalling how government has played to gallery' (Photo: PTI)
In a state steeped in sporting legacy, few milestones have been celebrated like Royal Challengers Bengaluru's maiden title triumph in the
Indian Premier League
. It's unlikely to be forgotten in a hurry either, given the tragedy that unfolded ahead of what should have been a celebration at M Chinnaswamy Stadium Wednesday evening.
Amidst the triumph in Ahmedabad and the disaster that followed in Bengaluru, an aspect that has not gone unnoticed by sportspersons is the role of the state govt. Led by the chief minister himself, cabinet members, elected representatives and brass of the state machinery fawned over RCB's players —
Virat Kohli
especially — at a specially arranged felicitation function at Vidhana Soudha.
Where was this enthusiasm, sportspersons ask, when teams and athletes brought international laurels to the state in the past? The IPL, they point out, is only a domestic tournament.
'When was the last time you saw a deputy chief minister of Karnataka carrying a private team's flag and going to the airport to welcome them?' asked a former Indian cricketer who did not want to be named for obvious reasons. 'Have any of them posted goodluck messages or donned team colours before a major event? If that was not enough, the entire state machinery turned up on the steps of Vidhana Soudha to greet and fete RCB's players.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Secure Your Child's Future with Strong English Fluency
Planet Spark
Learn More
Undo
It's appalling how the govt has played to the gallery.'
They say the govt's largesse to RCB is a luxury that has not been accorded to champions in other tournaments. And the sentiment has remained the same across parties and with successive govts. 'Even when we won the Ranji Trophy a few years ago, we had to wait for days to get an appointment with the CM. It was disappointing because Ranji Trophy is considered the pinnacle of domestic cricket,' said another former cricketer.
Olympians and international athletes of other disciplines echoed similar sentiments. 'For us from other sports who have excelled, we must make repeated requests to the CM's office to grant us an audience. When that happens, it is usually hurried affair at his home-office or in his chamber at Vidhana Soudha. It's seen more as a photoop,' said a hockey Olympian.
A member of the chess community recalled how cash strapped Karnataka chess grandmaster MS Thejkumar was given a purse of Rs 10 lakh in 2019 — two years after he was promised the reward.
This, when they wasted no time in handing badminton ace PV Sindhu a Rs 5 lakh cheque days after she won the women's singles World Badminton Championship title.
In 2023, then CM Basavaraj Bommai skipped a felicitation function organised for the state football team when they won the Santosh Trophy after 54 years. A week later, he made players wait outside his house for over 90 minutes before posing for pictures. 'We are happy that RCB finally won the cup and are heartbroken with the tragedy that followed, but the callous attitude of those at the helm continue to make us wonder: Are we really valued?' said an international star.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Eid wishes
,
messages
, and
quotes
!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
18 minutes ago
- Hans India
Any time I bowl in England I'm reasonably confident, says Hazlewood ahead of WTC Final
New Delhi: Ahead of Australia facing South Africa in the World Test Championship final, fast-bowler Josh Hazlewood said he always feels reasonably confident while bowling in Tests in England and added that he will increase his pace in the run-up to the one-off clash starting at the Lord's on June 11. In 12 Tests in England, Hazlewood has picked 52 wickets at an average of 26.07. The fast bowler took five wickets in his most recent match at the Lord's, which happened during the 2023 Ashes series against England. "Any time I bowl in England, I'm reasonably confident. I've had some good tours here over the last 10 years, and Lord's in particular. I haven't lost before at Lord's yet as a player, certainly in red-ball cricket for sure, and we have had a couple of good wins there over the years." "Today is sort of post-flight and just to get moving. I will probably nail down a few more overs tomorrow and then over the next few days, tick a lot of boxes,' Hazlewood told ICC on Saturday. Hazlewood hasn't played a red-ball game since he featured in the third Test against India at The Gabba in December 2024 due to a calf strain. Then seamer Scott Boland took over and went on to pick a 10-wicket haul against India at Sydney. This means that there's a toss-up between Hazlewood and Boland for the third seamer's slot at Lord's. What does help Hazlewood's case is Hazlewood that he arrives in London on the back of some overs under his belt while winning IPL 2025 for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, including overcoming a minor shoulder niggle. "I ticked over some good overs just before the (IPL) Final in Ahmedabad in different weather than this, and it was quite a tough session. And then obviously, every time you play a game in the IPL, you're probably going to get almost seven or eight overs in, if you really want to." 'So in and around with warm-ups, and obviously the four overs in the game. And we bowled second a lot of the time in IPL, so that was sort of two warm-ups, so you can squeeze in overs here and there, and things are going pretty well." "Everyone looks in good shape. We've all been in different parts of the world playing or training over the last couple of months, so it's good to get everyone together and catch up with everyone yesterday and the day before and get all on the same page moving forward," he concluded.
Indian Express
20 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Canadian PM reveals why he invited PM Modi to G7 meet
Hours after inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to this month's G7 meet in Alberta, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Friday pointed to India's status as the fifth-largest economy as a reason for the invite. Canada's action is seen as a step toward improving ties between the two countries, which had seen a sharp dip under the previous prime minister Justin Trudeau. 'As chair of the G7, it is important to invite the most important countries to attend to talk about important issues such as energy, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, and India is really at the very centre of global supply chains,' Carney said during a news conference on Parliament Hill, as reported by The Globe and Mail. Carney also said that the most populous country in the world, with the fifth largest economy, should be present at the year's G7. The two countries had downgraded diplomatic ties after Justin Trudeau, the then Canadian PM, set off a political storm in 2023 when he alleged 'potential' involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of a Canada-based Khalistan separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the charges as 'absurd' and 'motivated'. On Friday, Carney declined to say whether he believed India had any involvement in Nijjar's death. 'There is a legal process that is literally under way and quite advanced in Canada, and it's never appropriate to make comments with respect to those legal processes,' Carney told. Carney, however, added that Canada and India had agreed to 'continued law enforcement dialogue,' though he did not confirm whether this includes cooperation in the Nijjar investigation. PM Modi had on Friday confirmed his attendance at the G7 in a post on X, saying he congratulated Carney on his election victory and that 'India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests.' 'Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister Mark J Carney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit,' PM Modi said in a post on X. Usually, G7 host countries invite some countries as guest countries or outreach partners. Canada had so far invited Ukraine and Australia. India has been invited to every G7 Summit since 2019. Barring 2020 when the G7 huddle was cancelled by the US, the host country, Modi has attended every Summit since August 2019.
Hindustan Times
20 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Fadnavis responds to Rahul Gandhi's Maharashtra ‘poll rigging' claim: ‘Insulted voters'
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday reacted to Rahul Gandhi's claims about last year's election in the state, saying that the Congress leader is "insulting" the people of Maharashtra. Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Maharashtra assembly election held last year had been 'rigged' and alleged that the same would be repeated in the upcoming Bihar assembly polls. In a post on X, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, shared his own article published in a newspaper and wrote that the Maharashtra elections were a 'blueprint for rigging democracy'. Pointing to the article, Fadnavis said that Rahul Gandhi should understand the ground reality of the Congress party's grim future. "Unless and until Rahul Gandhi understands the ground-level facts and stops lying to himself and giving false comfort and promises, his party will never win. He should wake up (from ignorance), otherwise, he will keep talking such things which are devoid of facts," he told reporters, according to PTI. Also Read | 'Completely absurd': EC on claims over Maharashtra elections Fadnavis also alleged that Gandhi has insulted the electors of Maharashtra by casting aspersions on the fairness of elections. "He has insulted voters and ladki bahins (beneficiaries of a state government scheme for poor women). I condemn his statement," he said, reported PTI. Fadnavis pointed out that the Election Commission had earlier debunked his claims with evidence and released figures of increased voters in the previous elections and the latest one. Also Read | 'Rahul Gandhi's tongue is like Pakistan': Giriraj Singh's fierce attack on LoP in Bihar "He is habituated to speaking lies. Gandhi believes that by lying every day, people will accept his claims as truth. He has made such allegations in the past. He doesn't know what he is saying. People listening to him don't understand what he says. I feel there is no need to react," he added. The senior BJP leader also advised Gandhi to stop "convincing himself, wake up, and work on the ground", claiming Congress has no future. In his post on X, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, shared his own article published in a newspaper and wrote: 'How to steal an election? Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy. My article shows how this happened, step by step.' He added, 'Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission, Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll, Step 3: Inflate voter turnout, Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where BJP needs to win, Step 5: Hide the evidence.' Gandhi further said: 'It's not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing - the side that cheats might win the game, but damages institutions and destroy public faith in the result.' He also urged all concerned Indian citizens to demand answers and judge the situation for themselves while evaluating the evidence. (Inputs from PTI)
