Priyanshi Pareek
Recently, Rahul Gandhi, at a poll rally in Rajasthan’s Jalore said, “Ache bhale hamare ladke waha pe World Cup jeet jaate, par panauti harwa diya (our boys were almost winning the World Cup, but the ‘bad omen’ made them lose).”
The statement by Rahul Gandhi wasn’t a normal statement as it is being said to the country’s Prime Minister.
This was not the first time that any PM is going to watch a cricket match, many dignitaries went to watch cricket but never ever someone termed their PM a panauti.
Even Australia’s PM was present there. Would any of the opposition leaders have called him like this if Australia had lost the match? The answer will be NO as the PM is not just a normal person, he represents the nation and saying anything to him means raising hand against the nation.
The Election Commission on Thursday issued a notice to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his ‘panauti’ (bad omen) and ‘jebkatra’ (pick pocket) remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The notice came a day after the BJP filed a complaint with the poll body against the Wayanad MP.
The EC has asked Gandhi to submit an explanation by 6 pm on Saturday, articulating why disciplinary action should not be initiated against him for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The MCC is a set of guidelines that political parties and candidates need to follow to ensure free and fair elections.
However, beyond politics, shouldn’t the countrymen question the opposition leader for his sheer remark which goes against the spirit of sportsmanship.
“Yes, sports represent healthy competition and cricket is a game of gentlemen. Anybody making such remark should be boycotted by sports authorities for such remark challenges the spirit of sportmanship. One team out of two always loses a match in presence/absence of senior leaders/celebrities. It just doesnt matter who is present in the stadium but what matters is the sportmanship of players. So anybody making such a remark should be dealt with an iron hand, says Ruchi, a cricket fan who is left shocked and surprised by this remark.