Dribbling past his political opponents

“Daju! Daju!” (Elder brother, Elder brother) chant the youth as they wave frantically at him. They throng around him for autographs and click his photographs using their mobiles phones. Some even request him to play football with them.

With a smile, former footballer Bhaichung Bhutia obliges all those who have gathered to hear his political speech.

Bhaichung, the Trinamool Congress’ trump-card for the Darjeeling Parliamentary constituency, is looking to dribble past his opponents, who are demanding a separate statehood in this hilly region of West Bengal. His party doesn’t support the call for ‘Gorkhaland’ and wants Bengal to remain united.

“It’s sad that politics here is focussed on ethnic divisiveness rather than development,” he maintains.

For him, generating employment, putting in place road infrastructure and bringing potable water to the villages (the 6-lakh population in the hills suffer from acute water shortage), are more important than demands for a statehood. Bhaichung idolises Mamata Banerjee. “She is a classic example of women empowerment,” he maintains, claiming this to be the reason for signing up with the Trinamool.

Hailing from Sikkim, this 37-year-old Arjuna awardee, who captained the national side, hung up his boots in 2011. The decision to trade his favourite ‘jersey no 15’ with a politician’s hat, as he claims, was a conscious one.

“I have been following politics very closely. And I was interested in taking the plunge,” he says.

Of course, he had not set his eyes on contesting from Bengal. Rather, he wanted to be the party’s observer for Sikkim. ButBanerjee was desperate to use his “star power” to break the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) stranglehold in the region.

GJM, the most-dominant political force in the region, has the support of the Nepali-speaking population since it is at the forefront of the demand for a separate State. This is Bhaichung’s biggest challenge.

Having been labelled an ‘outsider’ because he hails from Sikkim, the former footballer’s political opponents are projecting the Trinamool’s opposition to Gorkhaland as their key call.

Bhaichung retorts. “Most of my career as a footballer has been in Bengal. Are Jaswant Singh and SS Ahluwalia locals? This is just a ploy to divert people from seeking development of the region.”

Bhaichung hopes that the promise of development and job creation will turn the tide in his favour. It is a different ball game altogether, but Bhaichung remains unfazed.