Sept, 2015

Dawood, Media, and India

(The Cricket Connect)

Lalit Modi, the Indian cricket czar, in a recent interview to Rajdeep Sardesai categorically stated that international cricket was being run by mafia and betting syndicates controlled by Dawood Ibrahim and Chota Shakeel. He, the star insider who must be knowing it all, was right, as this already stands proven even otherwise through detailed scientific (mathematical) and rational (logical) analyses. The proof has been in public domain for a couple of years now and remains uncontested and unchallenged. Unfortunately, media at large has guardedly been keeping this truth from public.

How would betting syndicates run international cricket? They would do so by ensuring that the matches were fixed from start to finish, to the advantage of those who got the proceeds from betting. Session betting (betting on number of runs scored in a bracket of overs) takes place in all matches. No bookie could dare indulge in it if matches were not fixed. It’s as simple as that.

Could international matches be fixed continuously without connivance of all those who mattered and without fixing in cricket being institutionalized? Think a little and you will get the answer.

In another related development, SIT on black money in India told Supreme Court of India not long ago that black money to the tune of Rs 3 lakh crore was being transacted annually in India through cricket betting. Further lakhs of crores of Rupees were being remitted from at least one crore Indians in India to foreign betting websites as found out by our Enforcement Directorate. Putting pieces together would simply mean that an international fraud worth much in excess of Rs 5 lakh crores per year, repeat Rs 5 lakh crores per year, was openly taking place through cricket. Mudgal and Lodha committees appointed by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India have meant nothing. Petitioning to the highest authorities under the Constitution of India has resulted in nothing.

The beauty is that those around me had been thinking that fraud in cricket was a very small matter. A fraud worth Rs 5 lakh crore per year, or Rs 1370 crore per day continuing year after year, day after day, a small matter? I hope that reflecting on above facts and figures they will now realize what is what.

Are cricketers the only ones responsible for this fraud? They, including all great heroes like Sachin, Dravid, Virat Kohli, and Dhoni, have been the executors or the actors, but directors or producers clearly have been the politicians, and big names at that. Again Lalit Modi has been repeatedly naming, through his tweets. a number of Indian politicians including Arun Jaitely, Rajiv Shukla, Anurag Thakur, Jyotirditya Scindia etc. for continuous fixing in cricket. Again, he has been absolutely right. No way that the continuous fixing in cricket could be taking place without these and other renowned gentlemen being in the loop. Only what Lalit Modi didn’t tell us was that Mr Narendra Modi, the present Prime Minister of India, as one of the cricket administrators, has also have been in the knowhow of this fraud and that same fixing existed even when Lalit Modi himself was at the helm of affairs of IPL.

Put 2 and 2 together and hold your breath. This all also means that leading Indian leaders from major political parties along with the cricketers we worship have been hand in glove with the country’s enemy number one, Dawood Ibrahim.

Our electronic media enjoys debating for days on small matters of impropriety. Is it not very strange that they have never bothered to dwell on such a massive issue that has become all the more conspicuous after Lalit Modi’s tweets and interviews? It is this silence of Indian media, Indian politicians, star Indian activists and crusaders, and Indian celebrities on such a major national fraud and betrayal despite their full knowledge that is very worrying. Because it means that there can’t be any hope for a country where everyone prefers to turn a blind eye to a proven greatest fraud of all times affecting hundreds of millions of the fellow citizens.

How easily our media has led us forget Sunanda Pushkar’s murder and number of star players reported involved in fixing? How easily the world has forgotten Bob Woolmer’s murder? How easily we forget the matches reported totally fixed and continue to shower praises on the same players who had played in those fixed matches?

To me, Arnab Goswamis and Rajdeep Sardesais of media are nothing short of big criminals for keeping away the all pervading fraud from public. Not only that, they also continue marketing this biggest fraud called cricket. As things stand, there just can’t be any hope for India irrespective of what Modiji, RSS or their admirers would like us to believe. Take it from the hard facts.

When we choose to keep quiet on an open massive fraud involving Who’s who of India, we are being naive in taking candle light marches on open rapes, murders, and other crimes around us committed by lesser mortals. All ills and evils in such a society are bound to continue to flourish; the hollow, rather self defeating, or at best superficial noises being made in public, in panel discussions and in newspapers would amount to nothing.