Indian politician Rahul Gandhi came to watch Vijender Singh’s Asia Pacific Middle Weight Championship match against Australia’s Kerry Hope at Thyagaraj Sports Complex, New Delhi. But when the politician entered the arena, people booed him and chanted “Modi, Modi” – A reference to Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi.
Gandhi came to watch India’s professional boxer Vijender’s Singh first middleweight championship victory in India. But people in the stadium gave him a bitter welcome. Even when Vijender won the championship battle against the Kerry Hope, people again booed him. But the young politician didn’t show any anger, instead, he smiled back.
Rahul came to watch the match along with other Indian sports personalities and politicians. Cricketer Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, boxer Mary Com, Sports Minister Vijay Goel, IPL Chairperson Rajiv Shukla also came to watch the bout.
Watch people booing Rahul:
Rahul was the Congress’ bids for the prime ministerial post in 2014 parliamentarian elections. But he failed to win the heart of people. Indian electorate questioned the Gandhi family’s “prince’s” political skills. He neither has good oratory skills nor a political brain. But more than these, the big money scam in the regime of UPA (United Progressive Alliance) also affected Rahul’s bid to be the youngest Indian Prime Minister ever.
An anti-Congress wave and Modi’s shrewd election campaign on social media and his heart winning oratory skills dashed Gandhi’s hope and Congress lost the base of National Party as they didn’t even have the numbers to be the main opposition team in the lower house of Indian Parliament. Since then Rahul Gandhi has become the butt of jokes; people call him “Pappu”.
But, politics and sports are two different things. A politician could be a fan of particular sports or a sports person, so he can buy a ticket for himself and watch a match going into the stadium. But the question is – can’t a defeated politician watch a match in the stadium along with you?
People want their politicians to live a life of ordinary people. But if they go to watch a match the same people make fun of them.
Sports fans should take the entry of a politician in the sports arena sportingly. They have to keep in mind that a politician should also get pleasure watching his favourite sportsperson play. They also have a personal life. Booing a politician who came to watch a match revealed the biased psyche of sports fans.
At the Thyagaraj Sports Complex people chanted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name. But the Prime Minister himself deserve criticism for his own failure to manage the crisis situation where his fans abuse anyone who disagrees, especially if the person happens to be a female.
When the entire arena was booing Rahul, this kid manages to shake his hands with him and have a chat.
Modi roams around the world to keep the international relations smooth. But that is not his job, it seems foreign minister Sushma Swaraj holds the post only to enlighten the ministry.
However, Rahul Gandhi is not a clean politician, nor is Modi. But, it seems people are still in awe of Modi’s popularity.
In the sporting culture, booing any player is very common. In the recent Euro Cup final between France and Portugal, the French supporters booed Cristiano Ronaldo because he was crawling after France midfielder Dimitri Payet hurt Ronaldo. France supporters were chanting “Messi, Messi” to distract Ronaldo’s mind from the game. Ronaldo had to leave the ground as he failed to endure the pain of injury. But he was on the sideline and helped his team to identify the mistake and marked the area for Eder to score a goal. Ronaldo’s tactic was useful as Eder scored the winning goal of the match that helped Portugal to pip France and lift the first Euro Cup title.
Rahul failed to fulfill his mother’s dream
But, Gandhi is a reluctant politician. He never tried to be a politician, but his mother Sonia Gandhi forced him to step in the job to shoulder the legacy of Gandhi family. He is like other Indian boys who are forced to give up the dreams to fulfill their parent’s dream.
Rahul’s political career doesn’t have any future as Congress is about to project Rahul’s sister Priyanka Gandhi. So, if he comes to watch the match and enjoy it, then there is no harm. So people should stop booing him and leave him to live his own life.
In politics, nobody is a friend and popularity of a politician is NOT eternal, but in sports, everybody is a friend and the sports make people understand the pain of defeat and joy of the win. But a sportsperson never hates his opponent. So people should, if not welcome a politician in the sports arena, at least be indifferent instead of disheartening him.
In India politicians hardly come to watch a match. Rahul Gandhi’s presence during Vijender Singh’s first middleweight championship victory is rather inspiring than a matter of disappointment.