Games politicians play

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked all Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs to submit their choice of one sport, whether urban or rural, that they either played or love watching or have promoted. This has left many MPs in a quandary. Most are too unfit to have played anything other than political games, said one MP. There is a long list of BJP politicians, led by the likes of Party President Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who have been associated with cricket bodies. The MPs, however, are also unsure about the purpose of the PM's query. They want to be careful about what they submit as their favourite sport. Most from rural or semi-urban backgrounds have played little else other than gilli-danda, kabaddi or kho-kho in their younger days.