Ex-Indian footballer Mehtab Hossain quits politics within 24 hrs of joining BJP
Kolkata: A day after joining the BJP, former Indian footballer Mehtab Hossain on Wednesday said he was not associated with any political party.
Hossain, known as the "Midfield General" in the Kolkata Maidan, said it was a personal decision to quit politics as he was left shattered by the pain and feelings of his family and well-wishers over his sudden move to join a political party.
The former East Bengal captain was handed the BJP flag by the party's state president Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday at its Muralidhar Sen Lane office amid chants of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai".
"I am not associated with any political party from today. I apologise to all my well-wishers for this decision of mine," Hossain said in a Facebook post.
"No one has forced me to take this decision. This is completely my personal decision to stay away from politics," he added.
Hossain, who has played 30 matches for India and scored two goals, said he joined politics as he wanted to reach more people.
"In these trying times, I wanted to be with the people. Those helpless faces have taken away my sleep. That is why I suddenly joined politics.
"But the people for whom I wanted to serve as a politician said I should not have joined politics. They did not want to see me as a politician," he said.
Hossain, who quit football after playing for Mohun Bagan in the 2018-19 season, said even his wife and children were hurt as he joined politics.
"My family (wife) Moumita and children Zidan and Zavvi, none supported this sudden decision of mine. They too were hurt by my decision like my friends and supporters. All of them are part of my family and I was left shattered looking at their sad faces.
"The 'Midfield General' title given to me by my fans is much closer to me than any other position. There is no hatred for anyone, no anger or animosity," he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that Hossain's U-turn was due to "threats and intimidation" from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.
"This is the result of TMC's threat-and-intimidation politics. We have seen such things before as well. But more the TMC indulges in such tricks, more it would lose public support," BJP secretary general Sayantan Basu said.
State vice president of the saffron party Jaiprakash Majumdar said such instances point towards the "lawless situation" in West Bengal.
TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee dismissed the allegations as baseless.
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Karnataka govt seeks agency to manage rural drinking water units: Minister
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday said the state government is working to appoint an agency to manage clean drinking water units in rural areas.
The state Rural Development and Panchayat Raj minister was responding to a question by Hirekerur MLA U B Banakar in the legislative assembly.
"In the rural areas of the state, many clean drinking water units have been set up under corporate social responsibility (CSR) grants, including contributions by MLAs and MPs, and handed over to gram panchayats. After the maintenance period, problems have arisen in keeping these units operational," Priyank said.
He added that a proposal has been made to award a maintenance contract to one of the country’s reputed drinking water unit manufacturing companies, but so far, no companies have come forward to take up the work.
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"The government is continuing its efforts and will resolve this problem soon," he said.
On a query regarding fluoride content in water, the minister said water quality testing is being conducted monthly in all zilla panchayats.
"Laboratories have been opened for this purpose. Around 6.5 lakh water samples have been tested across the state, and water testing kits have been provided to villages," he added.
