Thiruvananthapuram: Sports Minister V. The controversy raised by Abdur Rahman’s statement is burning. Those who have bought tickets to watch the India-Sri Lanka match are at least adding fuel to the fire. The sports minister is isolated on the issue. Neither the Chief Minister nor the CPM leadership has publicly responded to the issue.
Leader of Opposition V.D. While MP Satheesan and Shashi Tharoor criticized the minister from the opposition, CPM Kannur district secretary M.V. Jayarajan and CPI leader and former MP Panniyan Ravindran also gave a similar response. This is fueling controversy. The Kerala Cricket Association has also criticized the minister’s remarks. KCA office bearers said that the minister’s negative comment affected the number of spectators.
Shashi Tharoor accused that some people boycotted the stadium because of the minister’s lack of information and this is happening at a time when cricket is growing well in Kerala. The protestors should have boycotted the minister. The whole country noticed the empty stadium. He said that the situation of boycotting cricket and stadiums was due to one man’s mistake.
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan said that the lack of spectators for the Kariyavattam ODI is a blow to the sports minister’s arrogance. A person who insults starving people is not fit to be in ministry. The minister should apologise. The statement that hungry people should not come to watch the game upset the Malayalees. Would a person standing on the balcony of Kerala politics make such a remark? The minister’s tone is one of arrogance and insolence. He said that Karivatta saw the natural reaction of insulting the Malayalis.
CPI leader Pannyan Ravindran responded that those who are responsible for promoting sports as much as possible should not try to prevent the rights of sports lovers. Those concerned should be prepared to adopt the path of wisdom instead of controversies. Vina saw the remark that ‘starving people should not play’. The commenters should at least understand that the loss which has come down to 6000 tickets is not only for KCC but also for the government. He also opined that if international matches are lost, it will be a loss for cricket fans and the state government.
CPM Kannur district secretary M. V. said that cricket is a game that should be watched by the hungry and the non-hungry. Jayarajan responded. He said that he should not say that starving puppets should not watch the game.