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Chief Minister Narendra Modi appears to be on a shaky wicket while taking on the Congress-led Central government in a spree of election rhetoric on the issue of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches being shifted outside India.
On Sunday, while Modi said that the BJP-led states had ensured security for the IPL matches, state DGP S S Khandwawala said the Gujarat Police had expressed inability to provide security from April 15 to May 3, when Gujarat goes to the Lok Sabha polls.
Coming down heavily on the UPA government, Modi said that a government, which cannot provide protection to 11 players, cannot be entrusted with the task of country’s security.
He lambasted the Centre for “compromising with the country’s prestige” due to security reasons.
He alleged that the UPA had surrendered before the terror threat, which has caused a major jolt to its image before the international community. This has shocked the youth of the country even when the BJP-ruled states had shown willingness to organise these matches with full security to the players, said Modi.
The Gujarat Police, however, believe that the IPL matches and polls cannot go together, not even in Gujarat, just as rest of the states told the IPL authorities.
Khandwawala said there was no question of having matches between April 15 and May 3. In Gujarat, April 13 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature, while the polling is scheduled for April 30.
Khandwawala said: “In a letter, the IPL had proposed to hold seven matches in the state on April 11, 13, 17 and May 6, 9, 11, and 12. We had assured them to provide security in all the matches except the one scheduled for April 17. We told them that security would be given for all the matches scheduled before April 15 and after May 3.”
Congress leader and Gujarat Cricket Association president Narhari Amin, meanwhile, saw politics in Modi’s statements. “What is the need for indulging in such talks now when the matches have gone out of India. There should be no politics in sports,” Amin said.
He said the state government had showed inability to provide police bandobast for the matches between April 15 and May 3.
“If holding matches before April 15 and after May 3 was okay with the Gujarat government, then why Modi is lambasting the Centre?” asked Amin.
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This show how damn scarred you are
The DGP said that except the one on April 17th they can provide security for all other matches. Shekhar Gupta is on Congress payroll or what? At least you shouldn't give morons on either side to take you down.
For heavens sake stop castigating either Modi or the Gujrat Police.for the inability of the Central Govt to providev security to all citizans and only to protect the Ministersof the Govt most of whom are corrupt from head to toes.Since Sharad Pawar has failked to share his loot with Chidambaram he is raising false huye and cry.