Azharuddin makes debut in the Lok Sabha

Former cricket captain Azharuddin on Tuesday made his debut in the Lok Sabha,batting on diverse issues like streamlining sports bodies,problems of his constituency and Sachar Committee recommendations. Playing a ‘night watchman’ while participating in the discussion on Union Budget 2009-10,the Congress MP from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh,in his maiden speech praised the Rs 1740 crore allocation for implementing the Sachar Committee recommendations.

This,he said,would go a long way in uplifting the Muslims and bringing them at par with other sections of society. Dwelling on the problems of his constituency known as “Pitalnagari” because of the brassworks industry,he wanted the Government to go the extra mile to give a helping hand to the artisans there who have fallen on bad days due to economic recession.

He also wanted modern medical facilities in the town saying that work in the industry leads many an artisan to catch Tuberculosis by the age of 40. The former skipper did not talk about Cricket saying it was being “looked after well” but stressed the need for organising well the Commonwealth Games next year. Once it was done,India should make efforts to hold Olympics.