Babu's guide to partying in Rio Olympics on taxpayer's money
Sports Minister Vijay Goel wishes boxer Manoj Kumar luck for his next bout. Photo: Twitter (@VijayGoelBJP)
India's sports minister Vijay Goel has had a great summer.
India has won exactly zero medals in the Rio Olympics so far, but Goel has been cruising around with his entourage, gate-crashing the Olympic games village, misbehaving with officials and allowing his cronies to run amok on the very concept of etiquette and rules.
 |
| Vijay Goel wishes Srabani Nanda on Twitter, but with Duttee Chand's picture in the post. Photo: Twitter (@VijayGoelBJP) |
Though, he's not alone in the Great Indian Babu Embarrassment Mission of 2016. Quite a few others, mostly BJP MLAs who have been vacationing and flouting norms, are living it up in Rio, all on the Indian taxpayer's money.
1. Leading the wolf pack is Haryana sports minister, Anil Vij, who went to Rio flying first class (while the athletes themselves were flown in economy) to "encourage" our sporting stars and keep a tab on the problems they are facing.
I've come here to stand by our players who're fighting for India&see what problems they face: Anil Vij, Haryana Min. pic.twitter.com/QGKC9N0PXA
— ANI (@ANI_news) August 16, 2016
Only, he did not exactly do either of those things.
Vij led a nine-member delegation, including BJP MLAs Gyanchand Gupta and Randhir Singh Kapriwas, at the cost of Rs 1 crore and spent his time checking out the beautiful beaches in Rio.
Who cares that Haryana DSP and ace boxer, Vikas Krishna Yadav, was fighting his 75kg bout in Rio while Vij and company were beach-hopping? Vij, in fact, also missed the events of discus thrower Seema Punia and Greco-Roman wrestler Ravinder Khatri's performances.
Of course, beach selfies take precedence over such trivial matters.
2. Another guy who is having a really solid time in Rio is Raninder Singh, son of Congress' chief ministerial candidate in Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh.
According to a report, Raninder is hitting the party scene hard, clicking endless selfies of his escapades which are being devoured as slices of Rio-by-night on countless WhatsApp groups.
 |
| Raninder Singh is working really hard in Rio for our Olympians. Photo: ScoopWhoop |
3. Another "supporter-cum-encourager-cum party animal" (this should easily become a formalised job designation) is Abhay Singh Chautala, the son of former Haryana CM, Om Prakash Chautala.
This dude deserves mad props as he is currently out on bail in a disproportionate assets case, and his presence in Rio has even flummoxed the judge, as rules dictate he needs the court's permission to travel abroad.
 |
| Abhay Singh Chautala is living it up in Rio even as courts in India ponder over how he even got there. Photo: Twitter (@abhaychautala) |
But duh, when Rio calls can a court-ruling hold you back? Not if you're Abhay Singh Chautala, evidently.
Encouraging the Indian athletes has never been done better and harder.
Postscript: For all the ample encouragement on offer, the ministry couldn't even arrange decent food for our hardworking athletes on Independence Day dinner, as they were served beer and chakna only.
Jai ho!