City
Epaper

Anju Bobby George has not joined BJP: Minister

By IANS | Updated: July 7, 2019 16:40 IST

Union Minister for State for External Affairs V. Murlaeedharan on Sunday dismissed media reports which claimed that former Kerala track-and-field star Anju Bobby George had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a meeting in Bengaluru.

Open in App

Speaking to the media, Muraleedharan said there was nothing political about the meeting which took place on Saturday.

"I have had a long association with Anju and her husband Robert Bobby George. Yesterday, I had a party programme in Bengaluru. She called me and asked if we could meet to which I agreed. When she came to the programme in which I was taking part, the event was about to begin. So I invited her to the dais, as she is an internationally acclaimed athlete," said Muraleedharan, the only leader from Kerala in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet.

"As the meeting was going on, we talked and not a word of politics was spoken. She was talking about her institute," he added.

Former long jumper George (42) hails from Kottayam in Kerala and is presently employed with the Customs in Bengaluru.

In 2003, She made history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win a medal at the World Championships when she won the bronze in Paris with a leap of 6.70m.

She achieved her personal best of 6.83m, which is still a national record, at the 2004 Athens Olympics which fetched her the fifth position.

An Arjuna awardee, George has represented the country at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championships from 2002 onwards.

During the previous United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala in 2015, George was appointed the chairperson of the Kerala State Sports Council. However, a month after the present Left Democratic Front (LDF) government assumed office in May 2016, she quit from her post.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Robert Bobby GeorgekeralaMuraleedharanBengaluru
Open in App

Related Stories

NationalSabarimala Witnesses Heavy Rush on First Day of Annual Pilgrimage Season

PunePune: Speeding on Pune–Bengaluru Highway Continues Despite Strict Limits

NationalKerala: Pickup Van Driver Killed After Girder Collapses During Construction of Aroor-Thuravoor Highway in Alappuzha

NationalKerala: Patient Dies After Delay in Emergency Surgery at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College

NationalBengaluru Accident: Reality Show Dancer Sudheendra Dies After Truck Hits Car on Highway, CCTV Shows Fatal Crash

National Realted Stories

NationalNagaland govt names Air India Express as official travel partner of famed Hornbill Festival

NationalDelhi BJP chief energises workers for MCD bypolls in Naraina, Chandni Chowk

NationalTelangana Cabinet clears Bill for welfare of Gig workers

NationalIndia Is an Emerging Model of Growth: PM Modi

NationalMP CM Yadav repeals land pooling policy ahead of BKS protest in Ujjain tomorrow