Why I don’t want the UPA government to lose the trust vote – so that Mr M.S.Gill can continue as Sports Minister

The Congress-led UPA government faces a massive test when it faces the no trust vote on the 22nd of July. I am mostly indifferent to their predicament and will reserve judgement on the nuclear issue and the state of the Indian economy but there is one thing which makes me pray for their survival – this government has finally given us a capable sports minister in M.S.Gill and as a sports loving Indian, I dread the thought of a new government in New Delhi which will mean a return to the days of good for nothing sports ministers once again.

So what makes M.S.Gill better than the other sports ministers?

M.S.Gill is an avid sports enthusiast and hence he is concerned about the state of affairs of sports in this country.Most others have not known the A B C D of sports and haven’t really bothered about doing anything. More importantly, he is willing to take initiative and actually make a tangible difference. Unlike the previous incumbent, Mani Shanker Aiyer, who was also a ‘sports fan’ (at least he claimed to be one) but a spineless and dormant minister, M.S.Gill is action orientated and willing to use the power he wields

In a short stint of less than six months this is what Mr M.S.Gill has done

• He first went ahead and forced the supremely dictatorial and grossly incompetent K.P.S Gill to step down from the post of IHF (Indian Hockey Federation) chief. This in spite of the fact that K.P.S still holds a lot of clout in Punjab – home state of both Gills and his sacking could have had far reaching political implications. Mr Aiyer should now be literally forced to wear ‘Chudis’ (bangles) and sit at home.
  
• He then incurred the wrath of politicians and film stars by calling for only sportspersons to be allowed as torch –bearers in the Olympic torch relay. He then practised what he preached by refusing the invitation to be a torch bearer himself. The likes of Amitabh ‘UP’s poor farmer’ Bacchan were incensed but Gill cared a damn
• Mr Gill has lambasted the public broadcaster – Doordarshan for giving the Junior Asia Cup Hockey a miss. Most ministers have let Doordarshan misuse its position and dictate terms to sports federations and private channels but have rarely taken it to task for failing to fulfil its national obligations.
• Mr Gill has also taken the initiative to talk to Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon and invite him to bring his side to India. The Spanish club are already interested and the minister’s move could give a major fillip to football in India. Compare that to the initiatives taken by another minister in the same UPA cabinet – Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, who is also the head of the AIFF ( All India Football Federation) – he has ensured that India have dropped 60 places in the FIFA rankings in his tenure.

Is there a scenario where the BJP could just settle for making the likes of Das Munshi the scapegoats for everything and let the others like Gill carry on?

Or can the Congress offer Das Munshi’s head to pacify the Communists in West Bengal in return for their support?

Just imagine what all Mr Gill could achieve, if he was allowed to continue. Based on the above points we can say with reasonable confidence that M.S.Gill is easily the best sports minister that India has had in living memory. I would be very pained to see him go and be replaced by a total jack-ass in the next cabinet.

It’s the possibility of that pain that forces me pray for the UPA government to survive their acid test. I appeal to all the sports-loving members of parliament to forget their party loyalties and vote for the greater good of sport in this country.

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A question for Mr Lalit Modi – what’s happening to all the money made from the IPL?

Dear Mr Modi

First I would like to thank you for giving us the IPL.We got to see some great cricket and also witnessed a professional franchisee format for the first time in India. It was also a good opportunity for me to write and talk a lot. As promised by you, the league also unearthed some new talent and gave the first-class players a chance to rub shoulders with the top international players. That they got some pocket –money for doing so and also managed the occasional stay in five –star hotels was an added bonus.

But there is one small IPL-related matter that I still have no clue about. It’s about all the profits that accrued from the league. If I remember right, the money was supposed to have been utilized to develop the game at the grass-roots level in the country. More than a month has now passed since the IPL got over. We have heard a lot about the proposed Champions League but I haven’t heard any announcements made about the launch of new initiatives to develop cricket. We heard about the BCCI building a world-class gym for the parliamentarians and giving 50 crores to the IOA to aid other sports in their preparation for the Olympics. But have heard absolutely nothing about cricket and about the game's development at the grass-roots level.

You are generally not averse to press conferences and mega announcements. Why are you quiet now

I tried googling but couldn’t find anything - At least not in the first 100 odd search results. It’s possible that the announcements were made in far flung small towns (the grass roots) and the newspapers in those small places don’t have online editions for Google to index. But still, the country’s 24 hour news channels should have covered the announcement. They don’t miss even a dog’s bark in this country.

So then the only explanation is that these announcements have not been made public. I am sure you (Mr Modi) have already launched multiple programs to develop the game at the grass-roots. And we will soon see lots of new stadiums, practice facilities, coaching clinics and fitness centers coming up all over the country. And as usual you don’t want to announce it to the world and get credit for developing the game. But we are a country of skeptics and always want to know where all the money went, unless we see something tangible happening.

So, for the benefit of skeptics like me who will falsely tarnish your name, I request you to kindly announce to the world where all the IPL profits are being spent. I and many others who are interested in the development of the game would be forever grateful.

Thanks

Common fan

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