Sitting in AC rooms and tweeting on any issue is easy but I have joined politics to find solutions to problems faced by people, cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir said on Thursday.
Gambhir, who joined BJP recently, is pitted against Congress candidate Arvinder Singh Lovely and AAP's Atishi in a triangular contest in the east Delhi constituency during the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi.
"Dilli Ko Dilli banane ki jaroorat hain, London ya Paris nahi (Delhi needs to be developed as a national capital city and not London or Paris)," he said in an apparent dig at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, who often talks about making Delhi a global city on the lines of London and Paris if given full statehood.
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He asserted that the game of cricket was played by him with a "true spirit" and he has joined politics with the same guiding principle.
"I have played cricket with true spirit and have now joined politics with the same intention," he said.
On the issue of statehood, Gambhir hit out at the AAP, and claimed that the ruling party in Delhi was raising the issue during elections to "cover up" its failures.
Gambhir, who was known for his aggression on the pitch, faced the questions of reporters with calm and showed no emotions when probed on his knowledge of the East Delhi constituency.
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"Ten Assembly constituencies and 39 wards," he replied promptly when asked by a reporter about the number of Assembly constituencies and municipal wards in East Delhi.
He said that his vision was clear, and he was deeply impressed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said he will emerge victorious with the help of a "fabulous" team of BJP leaders and workers chipping in his campaigning.
"I am not here to make false promises. What people will speak after five years will be my view," Gambhir said talking about his plans and priorities for the constituency if he wins the polls.
Asked about his party denying the ticket to Maheish Girri, who is the sitting MP from the east Delhi constituency, Gambhir said,"Its a party decision. I do not want to delve into it. Maheish Girri did good work as an MP."
He said his vision was clear and he would go to people with the agenda of development.
"Lovely should tell whether he was on a picnic in the BJP," Gambhir retorted when his reaction was sought on Congress candidate's remark, that the former cricketer was an outsider on picnic in East Delhi.
In April 2017, Lovely quit the Congress and joined BJP over differences with his party leaders during municipal elections in Delhi. He returned back to Congress in February 2018.
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PTI
