Bhubaneswar: Former Indian hockey team captain Dilip Tirkey, who has been fielded in Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat by the BJD, asserted that Odisha has witnessed massive development under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
In an interview with PTI Video, the former Rajya Sabha MP, who lost to BJP heavyweight Jual Oram in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, thanked Patnaik for reposing faith in him once again.
“Odisha has seen a lot of development under CM Naveen Patnaik. There has been a huge transformation in the health and education sectors. Many have benefitted from health schemes of the state government,” he said.
In the area of sports, the world’s largest hockey stadium, the Birsa Munda Stadium, has been constructed in Sundargarh district and a World Cup was successfully organised in it last year, Tirkey, the Hockey India president, said.
Besides, 70 astro turfs have been built in Sundargarh and coaching programmes have started to promote hockey at the grassroots level, he said.
Tirkey added that through women self-help groups, there has been upliftment of women entrepreneurs and the government has opened a path for industrialisation to increase employment opportunities for youths in tribal-dominated Sundargarh.
“In the last 10 years, there has been a massive transformation in every area and the trust in the BJD government, especially Naveen Patnaik, has increased manifolds.
“I hope to see him as the CM for the sixth term and hope that the result in Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat will be our side,” he said.
On how he would manage both hockey and politics, Tirkey said, “Hockey is my passion and has taught me many things. Today, whatever I am is because of hockey. On earlier occasions too, MPs and MLAs have held posts in national bodies. I am involved in the development of hockey at the grassroots level. We also working on organising a women’s hockey league for the first time.”
PTI