Leander Paes, a former India tennis player who just joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Goa, reached out to the fishing community and spoke with fisherwomen in the state’s Assolna on Friday. He had also visited Maruti Mandir in Assolna earlier in the day.
Paes joined the TMC in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in October. The 48-year-old Indian tennis legend has eight Grand Slam championships in doubles and 10 in mixed doubles. For his great contribution to tennis, he got the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna medal, India’s highest athletic honour, in 1996-97, the Arjuna Award in 1990, the Padma Shri award in 2001, and India’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan prize in January 2014.
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Paes when asked about joining politics:-
Politics is very another ballgame. It lacks the temperament for sports spirit. Are you afraid?
Everyone is terrified. People like us do not participate in politics. But how would things change if we remain away? Some people enter politics, campaign for three months, and then leave. I believe that if you truly want to make a change, you must work within the system. That is how one may improve one’s quality of life.
Why did you decide to join the TMC? Why not the American Academy of Pediatrics or the United States Congress?
I have pals all everywhere. But, if you look at why I joined the TMC, it’s because the party has the ability to make Goa shine. Goa, like Singapore, may serve as an example of effective administration. Goa demands excellent methodical government, which I believe the TMC can provide. ‘Goans for Goa’ is an urgent requirement. Only the TMC has a genuine desire to help Goa.
How seriously do you take politics?
I’ve been serving the country for 30 years, in the David Cup, in Wimbledon… I have a strong desire to serve our country. I’ll approach the political match with the same zeal that I do tennis.
