New Delhi, May 25
Veteran film actor Sunil Dutt took charge as the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports at Shastri Bhavan here today and made it clear that youth affairs would get precedence over sports.
“We need to bring the youth of the country under one umbrella, disregarding caste, creed, region and religion to promote youth affairs in the country”, he said.
Mr Dutt thanked Congress President Sonia Gandhi for entrusting him with the Sports Ministry and added that his topmost priority would be to give the youth a sense of direction. He said he would also accord the Nehru Yuvak Kendra its due importance to activate its functioning for youth promotion.
Mr Dutt, after assuming the minister’s office at the fourth floor of Shastri Bhavan, then went round other offices of the ministry under his charge, spread over the first, second, fourth and seventh floors. Since it was lunch break, many of the employees were caught unawares.
Mr Dutt said he would strive to maintain the sporting ties with Pakistan on a vibrant note as the sporting relationship between the two neighbours was on the upswing after the Indian cricket teams’s tour of that country.
The soft-spoken minister, a veteran MP representing Mumbai, said it was his earnest desire to give something for the youth of the country. “The youth of the country should be brought under one flag”, he stated.
He made it clear that sports would have only “secondary importance as the emphasis would be on youth problems. The youth of the country is looking for a deeper direction, and it would be my priority to build their character.”
He said as far as understanding the nuances of the sports setup in the country was concerned, he would have to do a lot of homework.
Mr Dutt, being new to sports, will have to adopt the carrot-and-stick policy to discipline the errant federations without getting bogged down in partisan politics for the overall interest and betterment of Indian sports. Or else, he would have to throw up his hands and wail: “Mujhe jeene do”.
