Indra’s Drishtikona (Viewpoint)

India Watches IPL Exported Helplessly

Posted : March 23, 2009 at 6:38 pm [IST]

I had never been a great lover of cricket. However, I celebrated the birth of IPL where India proved as the leading nation to commercialize this popular game. IPL-2 is an Rs 1000 crore enterprise. It is at least one example of India’s confidence in its entrepreneurship and economy. It is a showpiece of India’s spending and helping to overcome the recessionary mood of the country. It creates huge temporary employment for commoners, besides a mood of excitement among the countrymen.

Many questions crop up with news of getting IPL-2 shifted to overseas destination. I remember once ABCL organized beauty contest had to face similar situation, though the reasons and opposition were different in nature.

Will not the shift of IPL-2 to foreign land mean financial loss to India? Does the shift mean a face loss about the capability of India regarding its security needs? Will it affect India’s risk perception for business?

Somehow, it appears the governments, both at the centre and the states are showing its natural bureaucratic answer to the problem posed by the overlapping schedule of general election and IPL that would have been taken up as challenge. I don’t know if one day the government would outsource the country’s internal security to some other country, as that would make them free of its accountability regarding the security of the nation.

I wonder if the country will not be allowed to hold any private or public functions of the IPL dimensions during the election time. It will be a marriage season during April-May in India and many marriages in India are grander in scale with large enough attendance and expenditure than one match of IPL-2. And many such functions will be there in many cities at the same time of the day with large number of VIPs involved. Will the security of those be not the responsibility of the government if the terrorists choose those to create panic in the nation?

I wonder how South Africa and England can organize IPL-2 so fast without a problem regarding security. Does it not mean that India is having shortage of manpower and technologies required for the full-proof security of the countrymen? Instead of trying to find out ways and means to face the situation with the help of all the resources including the huge number of security manpower in public and private domain, the government keeps on shifting the balls from centre to the states and vice versa.

I found today Chidambaram in his worst while addressing a press conference to give clarification of the decision of IPL-2 shift. In his new job, he appears to be more egoistic rather to certain extent arrogant nearing the performance of Shivraj Patil who was removed at long last after 26/11. A person of his stature in whom many like me see a future prime minister of the country should not be so intolerant and personal in attack.

I wish if Chidambaram takes the state governments and the security forces under different names in confidence in finding a solution to keep IPL-2 in the country. It will make people happy. I am sorry but no one can stop the opposition to take political mileage from the failing of the government.

Will the young readers come forward and express their opinions to stop the dogfights?

- Indra

Category: Government Policy/Administration |