E-Paper
‘Boycott effective’ remark misrepresented: Tharoor on poor India-SL turnout
The India-Sri Lanka cricket match on Sunday was played in a half-empty stadium after state sports minister sparked off a major controversy by saying those who cannot afford it need not go to watch the match.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that his statement regarding the poor turnout at the third and final One Day International (ODI) between India and Sri Lanka in his home constituency Thiruvanathapuram has been “misrepresented by some.” In a series of tweets, Tharoor said he has "nothing against those who were understandably outraged by the minister's callous comment."
The India-Sri Lanka cricket match on Sunday was played in a half-empty stadium after state sports minister V Abdurahiman, in a bid to defend exorbitant ticket rates, sparked off a major controversy by saying those who cannot afford it need not go to watch the match.
"What is the need for reducing the tax? The demand is that the country is witnessing the phenomenon of price rise so that the tax should be reduced. Those who are starving need not go to watch the match," the Minister had said.
Many on social media urged fans to boycott the match by not purchasing tickets for stadium. Tharoor argued that boycotts are a democratic right, but they should target the person against whom the they are protesting.
“The sports minister, who didn't bother enough to even attend the match, doesn't care if the gallery is full or empty. He was unaffected by the boycott. The protestors should have boycotted the minister, not the game,” he wrote on Twitter, adding that boycott only hurt the future prospects of cricket in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Congress MP further stated that the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) had nothing to do with the minister's “insensitive comments” and needed a good turnout to bolster its case for Greenfield International Stadium to be selected as a World Cup venue later this year.
On Sunday, Tharoor told reporters that the minister could have avoided saying what he said and the public ought to have not boycotted the match.
"I saw some campaigns on social media calling for a boycott of the match. It appears their campaign was effective. I think it was illogical to boycott it. I was fortunate to watch the match, so were those who came here," the Congress MP said.
The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), however, said the low turnout was due to the ongoing Sabarimala pilgrimage season, Pongal festival and some CBSE exams scheduled to commence from Monday.
