X Fact Checks Pro-BJP Former Cricketer Venkatesh Prasad On Wealth Redistribution PostFormer cricketer and vocal supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s BJP, Venkatesh Prasad, got it back from Twitterati when he came out in support of PM Modi’s controversial comments that said Congress is planning to redistribute wealth to Muslims. Supporting PM Modi’s claims, Prasad tried to liken the concept to a flawed analogy involving redistributing points in a cricket tournament, drawing sharp reactions from various quarters.
Prasad’s post, which has since garnered attention, stated, “One of the political party’s manifesto is to redistribute the wealth of the rich to the poor. The really poor need to be uplifted but this thought process is so pathetic. It is like saying If we take 4 points from RR and 4 from KKR and SRH and re-distribute it to the bottom 3 teams, they can make the playoffs.”
Joydas, an X user, after calling the former cricketer a liar, asked him which party’s manifesto says what the cricketer is claiming.
Venky you are a liar. Show which political party’s manifesto says that. U want cricketing reference? Let’s say in IPL, one team is playing with 15 Players on ground with support from Umpires, third umpire. Bowler running till half of pitch and bowling and Umpire looks other way https://t.co/DLbWWpEZ7P
— Joy (@Joydas) April 22, 2024
Reacting to Prasad’s analogy, journalist Korah Abraham raised a counterpoint, questioning the fairness of starting a tournament with certain teams already having points while others begin with a deficit.
Okay let’s talk in your language
What if a few teams started the tournament, with already a few points without playing a single match while the bottom teams had negative points. Would you consider that a fair league? https://t.co/xc1dNJIgKF
— Korah Abraham (@thekorahabraham) April 22, 2024
Vini Kohli, another user, criticized Prasad’s comparison, emphasizing the role of taxes and welfare schemes in wealth redistribution, highlighting the inadequacy of Prasad’s analogy.
Wealth distribution is done through taxes.
The ones who have excess are taxed more, and welfare schemes are used to give money/ subsidies to those who have less.By equating it to distributing points in a tournament, you have shown how pathetic your thought process is.
— Vini Kohli (@vinikkohli) April 22, 2024
Aashik Khan demanded evidence from Prasad regarding the alleged manifesto proposal on wealth redistribution, challenging the validity of his claims.
can you share the part of the manifesto where it talks about taking wealth from someone to giving to someone else/wealth redistribution. Can u show the proof?
— Aashik Khan (@ShrimaanAashik) April 22, 2024
Sarayu Pani, echoing the sentiment of others, further dismantled Prasad’s analogy by introducing a hypothetical scenario involving negative points assigned to certain teams at the start of a tournament, questioning the seriousness of Prasad’s argument.
What if at the beginning of the IPL 8/10 teams have randomly assigned negative points, and the two teams without are shouting loudly against a) a survey that will assess the truth of this and b) compensatory points? How seriously should we take those two teams?
— Sarayu Pani (@sarayupani) April 22, 2024
Prasad’s remarks come amidst a heated political controversy following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s controversial statements regarding wealth redistribution and alleged favoritism towards certain communities, particularly Muslims. PM Modi’s assertions, made during election rallies, have sparked widespread debate and condemnation from opposition leaders, who accuse him of spreading hate speech.
PM Modi’s remarks were in response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statements about conducting surveys and redistributing resources for equitable distribution.