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“Have no shame in saying that I work in the IPL”: Gautam Gambhir gives it back to a journalist questioning his involvement in IPL despite being a member of parliament

Gurpreet Singh
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"Have no shame in saying that I work in the IPL": Gautam Gambhir gives it back to a journalist questioning his involvement in IPL despite being a member of parliament

Gautam Gambhir gives it back to a journalist questioning his role in the IPL and the commentary box despite being an Indian MP.

When Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) made it through to the playoffs in only their maiden IPL season a few days ago, a fair share of the credit also went to their team mentor Gautam Gambhir, who played a vital role not only at the auction table, but also in the identification of the Indian talents who delivered with their consistent performances.

Moreover, he was a regular figure in the LSG dug-out during each of their matches, visibly expressing his emotions during the highs and lows of the matches, and passing out vital inputs to players and the captain whenever required.

Before his maiden season with the LSG, the former India opener was also a regular feature in the pre and post match shows of matches involving the Indian Cricket team with the broadcasting unit.

However, Gambhir has also been questioned by a significant section of people for his involvement in disbursing his services in the aforementioned endeavors, despite being a member of the Indian parliament in the Narendra Modi government since the year 2019.

Gautam Gambhir gives it back to a journalist

Addressing a press conference on BJP’s eight years in power in the country, Gautam Gambhir was seen replying to a journalist upon being asked on his active role and jobs in Cricket despite being a full-time politician and an MP now.

Gambhir gave a hard-hitting reply by stating that he feeds 5,000 people every month through his NGO in Delhi and has also set up a library worth INR 25 Lakh in his constituency.

Moreover, the 40-year-old has also set up a kitchen in Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar where he feeds the poor and needy for mere INR 1 rupee, from his own pocket.

“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.

“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. Only because I work, I’m able to feed those 5000 people or establish that library. I have no shame in saying that I do commentary and work in the IPL. All of this that I do has an ultimate goal,” Gambhir can be heard saying in the video which he himself shared via his social media handle.

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About the author

Gurpreet Singh

Gurpreet Singh

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Gurpreet Singh is a Cricket writer at The Sportsrush. His platonic relationship with sports had always been there since childhood, but Cricket managed to strike a special, intimate nerve of his heart. Although his initial dream of playing the sport at the highest level couldn't come to fruition, Gurpreet did represent the state of Jharkhand at the under-14 level. However, almost like taking a pledge to never let the undying passion for Cricket fade away even a tad, he made sure to continue the love relationship by assigning the field of journalism as an indirect Cupid. He thus, first finished his bachelor's in journalism and then pursued the PG Diploma course in English journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). Soon after and since 2019, he has been working at The Sportsrush. Apart from sports, he takes keen interest in politics, and in understanding women and gender-related issues.

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