Himachal youth must choose sports over drugs: Anurag Sharma

Rajya Sabha MP Anurag Sharma urged Himachal Pradesh’s youth to stay away from drugs and pursue sports to bring recognition to the state and country. He spoke at the concluding ceremony of the under-19 state-level boys’ and girls’ athletics meet in Dharamshala, where he distributed prizes to the participants.

Sharma said sports can bring positive change to young people’s lives and expressed hope that Himachal athletes would excel in kabaddi and other disciplines and win gold medals for the country.

On Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks about the Prime Minister’s father, Sharma said Kharge used the expression figuratively. Responding to criticism from the BJP, he referred to past remarks by BJP leaders against senior Congress leaders, including the terms “jersey cow” and “hybrid calf”.

Sharma questioned the language in those earlier remarks and said the media should assess whether they met democratic standards. He argued that similar standards should apply when political leaders comment on one another.

Praising the state government, Sharma said the Congress government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was working across sectors despite limited resources. He cited initiatives in sports, education and healthcare as part of the government’s development efforts.

He said the state government had increased incentives for kabaddi players and that the chief minister would honour the state’s kabaddi players in Shimla on October 31. Sharma added that the government would fulfill promises made to athletes in phases and was also addressing their employment-related demands.

On the upcoming elections, Sharma said Congress had performed well in the panchayat elections in Jaswan-Pragpur. He cited the election of 44 Congress-backed panchayat pradhans, 16 Block Development Committee members and three Zila Parishad members.

Sharma expressed confidence that the Congress candidate would win in Jaswan-Pragpur in the next election and advised the BJP to focus on its own electoral prospects.