Kanti oversteps' party line

KOLKATA: After Abdur Rezzak Mollah, it's now Kanti Ganguly's turn to "overstep the party line". The senior minister has submitted a written proposal to the Union sports ministry for including sports on the concurrent list. The proposal was given to Union sports minister M S Gill in a meeting held last month in New Delhi.
Ganguly made his move keeping the party in the dark.In doing so, he has done something even his predecessor, the maverick Subhas Chakraborty, couldn't think of.
CPM has always held subjects in the state list close to its heart. CPM mandarins at Alimuddin street are tightlipped on the issue. "Ask the minister. I can't say," said CPM central committee member Shyamal Chakraborty, when asked to comment.
The state sports minister is sticking to his ground. "Sports should come on the concurrent list. It is not possible for state governments to foot the bill for building sports infrastructure. Financial responsibilities have to be shared. The country needs a national sports policy and for that it is important that sports is included in the concurrent list. This is my personal view," Ganguly told TOI. "Unless sports infrastructure is built, we won't have sportsmen. I am not talking about winning medals. For complete development of a human being, sports has to be made a part of the curriculum, and not remain an extra-curricular activity," he said.
The minister admitted that he hadn't discussed the issue within the party or the LF.
Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal's move to make it mandatory for all schools to have playgrounds has, apparently, prompted the move. The cash-strapped state government, said sources, is in no position to implement the policy and needs the Centre's support.
"The Union HRD minister wants all schools to have playgrounds. There are thousands of schools in the state. From where will they get land? Huge expenditure is required," Ganguly said.
The minister cited a recommendation made by a committee formed on sports and education in 1948 that had recommended sports to be made a part of the curriculum. "Successive governments at the Centre have ignored the recommendation. The country should have a policy on sports for all. Unfortunately, there is no such planning," he said.
Sources said that CPM has always insisted on keeping certain subjects within the state list. "There is a qualitative difference between the ramifications of having sports in the concurrent list and sensitive matters like home and law & order. Important subjects like education and agriculture are already there in the concurrent list," said a senior Left Front leader.
RSP central secretariat member Manoj Bhattacharya said there could be no problem if sports is included in the concurrent list. "There should be a national youth policy. Sports policy in isolation won't be enough. The country doesn't have a well ordained sports policy. Many a time, state and Centre have moved in opposite directions on matters involving sports. The two must converge. There should be national planning for sports and youth," he said.