I am here to stay in politics, stay connected to people: Yusuf Pathan

Calcutta: Former Indian cricketer and politician Yusuf Pathan, the face of the TMC against Congress heavyweight Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Baharampur, says he is here to stay in politics and stay connected with the people of the city, who have already “accepted” him as one of their own”.

Pathan, who retired from all forms of the sport in February 2021, feels he is gaining strength and confidence with each passing day in Baharampur.

“I am blessed to have come to a place where people say to me ‘aap ko hum yahan se jaane nahi denge’ (we will not leave you),” said the right-hander, known for his towering sixes. PTI in an interview.

“People here have already accepted me as their son, brother or friend. I will stick to it regardless of the outcome of the polls. I will be with them for a better future that they deserve. These people are my strength and ‘inshallah’, I will win. With the kind of positive attitude I am in at the moment, I don’t even think about the possibility of a loss,” Pathan said.

Contesting from the prestigious Baharampur Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on a Trinamool Congress ticket, he has emerged as the main challenger to Congress veteran and incumbent Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on his home turf.

“I have utmost respect for Adhir Chowdhury, a senior leader,” he said.

“But when I listen to people, I hear dissatisfaction about his absence from the grassroots during the Covid years. People here claim that Chowdhury has failed to secure the necessary central subsidies to create infrastructure and employment. There is not enough work for people and the MP of 25 years should answer people why he failed,” said the hard-hitting former cricketer, who moved from Gujarat to contest for a seat on the Lok Sabha floor from Bengal.

Pathan mentioned creating employment to stop migrant workers, building a world-class sports complex, infrastructure for local workers in the silk, thermocol and jute industries, and creating a support system for farmers as priority areas of work, should the voters of Baharampur choose him as their area of ​​operation. representative in parliament.

“I have a lot of work to do here. I discovered that during my brief presence in the region, during my poll campaigns and interactions with people,” he said.

However, joining the Lok Sabha poll battle was possibly the last thing on Pathan’s mind barely a month and a half ago until Mamata Banerjee (CM and TMC supremo) and her cousin Abhishek approached him.

“It happened less than a week before the day the party announced its candidate list on March 10,” Pathan said. “My first reaction was negative. I was in a dilemma about whether or not to accept the offer. After all, I had never seriously thought about politics, nor was I particularly a fan of the profession,” he stated.

When asked why he finally chose politics and the TMC, Pathan replied with a hearty laugh: “Cricket toh khatam ho gaya, kuch toh karna tha (my cricketing days were over and I had to do something).”

“Actually, I consulted my family, including my brother Irfan and wife Afreen. I also spoke to my seniors and friends. I soon realized that this could actually be a gift, an opportunity from the Almighty to serve the people and give back to society what I have earned all these years in terms of love and respect,” he said.

Pathan, however, insisted that he had been familiar with Mamata Banerjee’s politics for over a decade, especially since 2011 when he started playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.

“I came to stay in Bengal for months and was able to see the developments in civil infrastructure that she brought to Kolkata. People kept telling me about her work in education for women and for the poor. I even met her in 2014 after KKR won the IPL that season,” he says.

“So it wasn’t really a problem to say yes to her offer,” Pathan said.

When asked whether his religious identity, that of a devout Muslim, gave him an edge over opponents in a Muslim-majority seat like Baharampur, Pathan firmly separated religion from politics.

“I respect every religion in this province, but people should not be treated as vote banks based on their religious identity.

“Elections should be fought for both the majority and minority communities, not for one or the other. The priority must be to grow the economy and develop people so that we can build a future for our next generation,” he stated.

Pathan, who was also an effective off-spinner, continues to maintain a deep attachment to cricket despite retiring from the professional formats of the game.

Pathan said his identity as a cricketer would continue to dominate his newfound love for politics.

“Both of my identities are important, and neither of them can I hide. But people will always think of me as a cricketer first and foremost. They saw me play and loved me for my performances in the middle. Now they can expect me to serve them as one of their own,” he said.

As someone who has sweated it out on the field under rigorous training schedules, Pathan feels the heat and dust of Baharampur has only added to his life experience.

‘To the dust we will all return. ‘Dhool se kya darna’ (why be afraid of),” he added.