Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Should Dada do political Dadagiri?

Sourav Ganguly might have bidden adieu to international cricket but people outside the game still seem to admire his leadership skills. West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has always tried to create a poster boy out of Sourav Ganguly and now the Samajwadi Party leaders want him to contest elections form Uttar Pradesh.


Sourav for now has made it clear that he is still busy with his cricketing commitments and not joining any party. Known to be straight talker throughout his life, he said that he doesn't need to go to any other state to fight an election. If ever he steps into politics it will be in West Bengal itself. So the question arises should Dada join politics?


Well the answer has to be affirmative. If he has any interests in politics he should give it a go in the near future. He has a huge experience having travelled all over the world which could come in handy in bringing about a change in a state starving for development. He is the biggest brand ambassador that Bengal still has and this may be useful in bringing in investments to the state.


Now the big question arises which side should Sourav go to in case he wishes to join politics. Lets see where he cannot go first. On top of the list is Trinamool Congress, after the Singur drama a person like Sourav who has seen the world cannot be in company of such insane people. Congress and BJP do not exist in Bengal so joining them would serve no purpose. So what is Sourav's political option in the event he wishes to join politics.


The only existing political option for him is the Left Front often blamed for the underdevelopment of West Bengal. The reason I say this despite being an Non-Leftist is only because they have a visionary and forward looking Chief Minister in Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Or else Sourav can form his own party considering the appeal he has. But history has always shown us such parties hardly make an impact to the political scene as they slowly get crushed under the larger political force.


Critics might argue that being a leader on the cricket ground doesn't make sure one will be a good political leader. True, but it doesn't even guarantee that he cannot be a good political leader. Sourav has mass appeal over the people of West Bengal and can shape public opinion to bring in much needed development. After all no body can raise a finger on his leadership skills.

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