Kolkata: Former tennis player Leander Paes, who has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), criticised “dirty politics” in West Bengal, saying it is a key reason the state has not achieved its full development potential.
Paes had joined the BJP days before the Assembly election in the state.
Speaking to IANS, he expressed sorrow over the murder of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s aide Chandranath Rath.
He said: “My heart goes out to his family, the security, people who were around him and to their families.”
Referring to Bengal as a “secular state”, he said that the people of the state are beautiful.
“People here are very united and together, but it’s the dirty politics that has been played. It just shines again,” he said.
“The way it has played out in the last couple of days post May 4 (election results) just shows why Bengal has not thrived, why it has not been allowed to thrive,” the BJP leader added.
Paes credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for the BJP’s victory in Bengal.
“Six weeks ago, when I joined, I had said that a double engine is really important, and now we have got that,” he said.
He added, “I have been blessed with great partnerships in my career, in my life. This is a new partnership where I feel blessed to serve our people under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
“I feel enthused and inspired to do great work for our youth, sports and for the people of India,” the former tennis player said.
Paes asserted that with the government change, he feels enthused and uplifted that “now the place where I was born, the city that gave me passion and taught me how we live as a community, will thrive.”
The BJP leader said that he looks forward to Bengal as a “state of example” under PM Modi’s leadership.
Moreover, he hoped that West Bengal would flourish again, being the agricultural, manufacturing, and sporting capital of the country.
“If Assam and Odisha can become such powerhouses, West Bengal can do just the same,” Leander Paes added.
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–IANS
