Dubai Baichung Bhutia’s entry into politics has not been without its share of controversies. The ‘Sikkimese Sniper’, as he is popularly known, is the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from the prestigious Darjeeling constituency in West Bengal.
From a failed attempt at seeking the support of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) to countering caustic comments on his ‘outsider’ status in Bengal, the former India football captain and Padmashree Award winner shares his thoughts on a wide variety of issues in an exclusive interaction with Gulf News from Darjeeling. Following are excerpts:
Why did you choose to fight the elections on TMC ticket?
Choosing Trinamool was not a problem at all. In fact, it was the only option for me when I decided to take the plunge into politics. And one reason, or rather the only reason, behind it is our leader and Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee. Her story is an inspiring one.
Today, there is so much talk about women empowerment and I think she is one of the best examples of women empowerment in Indian politics. From almost nowhere, she has brought her party to such a place of prominence.
In spite of being the chief minister, her lifestyle remains as simple as ever. She is still her usual, humble self. With such an inspiring personality around, you need to look no further.
You have played in many matches for India. But this is a completely different ‘match’. What is the kind of feedback you are getting from voters?
I must say that the feedback from the public has been extremely encouraging so far. People have shown a very positive interest in my candidature. Darjeeling has been through a lot — socially, politically. Life in Darjeeling has been interrupted far too often and for far too long due to political disturbances. People are sick and tired of all that.
They want progress, they want development. People of Darjeeling have suffered a lot and they now deserve to be given their dues. All political parties ought to keep that in mind. So this election is all about hope for a better tomorrow.
If you are elected, what will be your agenda in parliament?
As I said, the priority for the entire district of Darjeeling now is to ensure development and the biggest challenge on the road to development is peace. If I am elected, my first objective will be to ensure peace. I also feel that every single individual who lives in Darjeeling has a role to play in this.
You tried to seek the support of the GJM for your candidature. But the GJM is supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, S.S. Ahluwalia. Is the GJM-BJP combination a worry?
Not at all. In fact, GJM’s support for the BJP candidate has made things a lot easier for me. Ahluwalia is a rank outsider. He is from Punjab. How can you expect the people of Darjeeling to vote for a person who does not even belong to this area and who has not been to this place ever before?
He doesn’t even know the languages spoken here. He has no idea about the demographics of Darjeeling.
How can such a person be aware of the real issues and problems that people face here?
The sitting MP from Darjeeling is BJP’s Jaswant Singh — another outsider. In the last five years, Singh has been in Darjeeling on only two occasions.
How can a person serve his or her constituency if he or she doesn’t even bother to visit the constituency regularly?
The voters are not fools. They will keep all these factors in mind. Moreover, big national parties such as the BJP must think twice before airdropping candidates like Ahluwalia. People should condemn such tactics. It’s an insult to the voters.
These candidates have no idea about what life is like in the hills, what the problems and priorities of the people are in this part of India.
The GJM is supporting the BJP candidate because it wants to ride the Narendra Modi ‘wave’. But let me tell you, the perceived Modi ‘wave’ in Darjeeling is zero.
You consider Singh and Ahluwalia as ‘outsiders’, but what about yourself? You also do not belong to Darjeeling. You are from Sikkim…
Calling me an outsider is absolutely wrong … it’s just madness. Some politicians are doing this just to confuse the people. And I know it is the GJM that has started this campaign against me.
The GJM has always tried to divide the people of Darjeeling, but only a lunatic will say that I am an outsider.
People from Darjeeling and Kalimpong travel to Gangtok and other places in Sikkim almost on a daily basis and there are so many people from Sikkim who live and work in Darjeeling.
We share the same culture, same food, same language and we are from the same hilly region. So what is the issue?
There have been instances of celebrities from film and sports joining politics, but most of them could not make much of an impact in the long run. Are you worried about the possibility of failure?
Well, whether it is politics or any other profession, what ultimately matters is honesty and transparency. One has to be honest and transparent in whatever one does.
Having said that, it is also important that a new entrant in politics is backed up by his or her party and given the support he or she needs. So it works both ways.
Personally speaking, fear of failure doesn’t worry me at all. I am an optimist.
