Will you be unhappy if Games succeed?

GN Bureau | July 28, 2010



Former central minister and Rajya Sabha member Mani Shankar Aiyar has once again criticised the hosting of the Commonwealth Games, going so far as to say that he would be unhappy if the event was a success. He has said those opposing the Games were on the side of the good while those in its favour were with the evil.

He has made this argument before: that a developing country like India with its myriad of problems cannot afford to spend Rs 35,000 crore (his estimate) on the Games. In the name of national prestige, a lot of money, taxpayers' hard-earned money, is going down the drain thanks to misgovernance. If this amount  were spent on providing training to children at grassroots level, they would bring honour for the country in the international events.

On the other hand, Games Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi as well as many sportspersons have criticised the former sports minister for his disparaging comments. In any case, what's the point of playing spoilsport at this eleventh hour?

What do you say: will you be unhappy a la Mani if it rains and the big event is a flop show?

Comments

 

Other News

Cabinet passes resolution applauding PM on term record

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed a resolution marking June 10, 2026, as a historic milestone in the journey of Indian democracy applauding Narendra Modi for becoming the longest-serving elected PM of the country. By establishing a record of 4,399 days of continuous service as an elected PM, he has s

Testing the teachers, moving the goalposts

A teacher was appointed in 1999, before the Right to Education (RTE) Act came into force, and appointed under the rules that existed at that time. She gave the necessary test, passed it, passed the interview, and was appointed. Over the next 26 years, she taught thousands of children, faced transfer orde

`Focus on infra, reforms, digital connectivity has created strong foundation for growth`

In a step towards the operationalisation of the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana (BHAVYA), union minister of commerce & industry Piyush Goyal launched the BHAVYA Portal on Monday in New Delhi.   Addressing the gathering, Goyal said that the BHAVYA scheme will adopt a competit

Govt, RBI announce major reforms to attract FPI

The finance ministry on Friday announced a series of measures aimed at enhancing the ease of investment for individual Persons Resident Outside India (PROIs) and Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs), and to attract stable long-term foreign capital flows.   Building on the recent in

Lessons in climate adaption from world’s largest inhabited river island

Majuli Island, perched between the Brahmaputra River to the south and east, the Subansiri River to the west, and a branch of the Brahmaputra to the north, has been severely affected by recurrent flooding and intense riverbank erosion. Despite its global importance in acquiring UNESCO tentative status for

Careless whispers and the impossible trinity

Time can never mend, the careless whispers of …    As the RBI marches ahead, for the upcoming monetary policy meeting this June, whispers from the corridors echo around several policy options to defend the rupee – by deploying forex reserves, raising in





Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter