Kolkata, April 24 -- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday delivered a veiled message of communal harmony while attending East Bengal Club's centenary.
Banerjee advised that a person should be identified through their work and not by religion or caste.
"Sports have an important role in nation building. People from all religions take part in sports. We do not ask a player his /her surname. When India takes part in the World Cup, we never ask a player whether he/ she is a Hindu or Muslim, a Rajasthani, Gujarati or Bengali. The Indian captain represents the country and this is how we look at him/ her. When Sourav Ganguly was the captain of the Indian cricket team, we felt proud as a Bengali. But no one asked about his religion," said Banerjee.
Her veiled message assumes significance as a "particular political party" has been making statements with religious overtones in the backdrop of the terrorist attack at Pahalgam in Kashmir. However, Banerjee instructed his Cabinet colleagues to refrain from making comments associated with religion. "Terrorists should not be judged on the basis of religion or caste. They are criminals and cannot be forgiven for their act," Banerjee had said on Wednesday.
Banerjee released a documentary to mark the centenary of East Bengal club. She said: "All clubs in Bengal are now playing Indian Super League (ISL). Mohun Bagan has a very good team. But why is East Bengal not having one? You need a good team to perform well. I have asked the club top brass the same question."
East Bengal's performance in the recent past has been unsatisfactory. In ISL, it finished at the 9th spot and was defeated by Kerala leading to its exit from the tournament. However, East Bengal's women's team became champion at the maiden Indian Women's League.
"You cannot make a good team only by investing money. You have to go to the corners of the villages and pick up good players," Banerjee advised the club.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.