Kolkata [West Bengal], April 17 : Former Indian tennis player and BJP leader Leander Paes, now a star campaigner for the party in West Bengal, on Thursday said youth empowerment through sports can play a key role in the state's development.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with ANI, Paes said he aligns closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision and leadership.
On being asked whether he sees political change in Bengal this time and his appeal to the youth, Paes said, "Every team has a leader, a captain, and I have played on many teams in my life. Our leader is our PM, Narendra Modi. Whatever he requires me to do to empower our state and country and run sports in our country, I will follow our leader. I think his vision and his leadership skills are impeccable. I talked with our PM about the issues of Bengal and the youth, to which his simple words were that youth and sports can empower a nation."
On being asked about his roadmap for youth who want to build a career in sports, if the BJP comes to power, Paes said he wants to contribute to building opportunities for youth through sports.
"Our leader is our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Whatever he requires me to do to empower our state and country, I will follow our leader. His leadership skills are impeccable. Leaders of the party (BJP) welcomed me with so much respect. With PM Modi, I talked about issues in Bengal, for the youth, and he said, 'Youth and sports can empower a nation'. Under the leadership of PM Modi, I will serve our country to make India great again. People like me normally stay away because of the fear of politics... but my Baba left me with a message to empower the 500 million children through sports and sports education. My heart beats for India and the Tiranga. I will work hard," he added.
On being asked about being labelled an outsider in West Bengal politics despite his roots, Paes said he is not affected by such remarks.
"I don't get hurt by these things because if you go back to the 17th century, my forefathers were Bengali. After I won my Olympic medal in 1996, lots of young Indian children felt they could also win. The same goes for politics."
Earlier, speaking at a press conference, Paes raised concerns over migration and declining opportunities in the state, especially for youth.
He said the lack of opportunities in sports, education, employment and safety has forced many young people to leave Bengal.
"The most important issue in West Bengal is migration - migration from the metro city. The sports opportunity is continuously declining. It is very unfortunate how our youth migrate away from here, be it for education, employment, safety, or several other important issues. We need to be better. We need Bengal to be great again. There was a time when people from all over the world came to Bengal for business, but there is nothing left now. We need to become what we were before - the centre of culture, commerce, manufacturing, education, business and many things. We need to change Bengal."
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