Cheer leaders

There’s an idea winging its way through the corridors of power and the PMO, it is believed, is already seized of the matter. If India makes it to the World Cup final, Prime Minister Vajpayee — with an enthusiastic entourage of cheerleaders and hangers-on no doubt — would be airlifted to South Africa so that he can personally cheer the team on to victory. We hate to act as party-poopers, but this is plainly a crackpot of an idea. The prime minister must certainly commit time to watching that crucial encounter, should it take place, and enthuse Ganguly’s Boys on, perhaps even wear the India colours on the prime ministerial cheek and wave the Tricolour. But he must do this from his home at 7, Race Course Road, New Delhi, in front of a television set, and use the telephone for the historic moment.

There is a tendency in our law-makers to regard life as one big free ride and it is the prospect of hopping on to a state-subsidised victory flight that has, without doubt, sparked off such enthusiasm for the idea. But consider what such a visit to South Africa entails: an Air-India aircraft would have to be requisitioned and reconfigured for the requirements of the prime minister and his entourage. Meanwhile, SPG personnel would have to check out on the security aspects of such a visit, entailing advance trips. All this could cost the national exchequer — which we have just been informed by Finance Minister Jaswant Singh is not exactly in the pink of health — several crores.

Even if this were to be dismissed as inconsequential, there is this business of confusing cricket with some form of hyper-nationalism. The finance minister has already offered tax breaks to the boys should they return with the World Cup, the Shiv Sena is pushing to have Sachin Tendulkar’s portrait in Central Hall or hand him the Bharat Ratna at the very least, and an MP from the Left ranks had insisted that the House pass a resolution honouring the team in the wake of the famous Centurion win. We would like to reclaim cricket from all these players who have anything but the interests of the game in mind. It’s not just a free ride to South Africa these worthies are looking for, but a free ride on cricket.