Picture Credit: Twitter
Former India cricketer turned politician Gautam Gambhir rarely shies away from giving his opinion on an issue. While he has been among those cricket stars who have taken a stance against several issues in the past, in a recent development, he was seen giving a befitting reply when asked why he continues to work in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in various capacities despite being an elected Member of the Parliament (MP).
For the unversed, Gambhir is an MP from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) from the East Delhi Constituency. The politician has opened a public kitchen in the Gandhi Nagar area of East Delhi called 'Jan Rasoi' that offers a meal for Rs. 1. In addition, he has set up a library for the benefit of the public.
While responding to the question by journalists, Gambhir said that he has no shame in working in the IPL as he spends the money earned from working there on his schemes and the cost of this does not come from the Members of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) Scheme.
"Why I commentate in IPL or work in it is because I spend INR 25 lakh every month to feed 5000 people. This translates to roughly Rs. 2.75 crore per year. I've also spent INR 25 lakh to build a library," he said while addressing the media.
"I spend all of this money from my own pocket and not from the MPLAD fund. The MPLAD fund doesn't run my kitchen or other things that I do. I don't have a tree in my house from where I can pluck money either," he added.
Gambhir was the team mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022 who did well in their inaugural season and managed to seal a Playoff berth before being eliminated in the Eliminator after losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore.