New Delhi [India], March 15 : Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday praised the MPs vs Delhi Police 'TB Mukt Bharat' T20 initiative and also hailed the fitness level of parliamentarians participating in match.
Speaking to ANI, he stated that if MPs of every party play together for one noble cause, it sends a good message. "This is a great initiative by our MPs... A lot of our MPs are quite fit and enthusiastic. Playing for a cause is a great thing. I am excited to see the audience here, too... If MPs of different parties work together on the same campaign, it sends a good message," he said.
Earlier in the day, Members of Parliament (MPs) and personnel of the Delhi Police faced off in a friendly T20 cricket match in the national capital as part of the 'TB Mukt Bharat' awareness campaign, aimed at promoting the government's initiative to eliminate tuberculosis in India.
The T20 match between Delhi and Police and MPs was held at New Delhi's Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium under the TB Mukt Bharat campaign.
Speaking to the reporters before the match, BJP MP Anurag Thakur said, "I am grateful to the MPs and the Delhi Police officers. We are playing this match for awareness... It doesn't matter who wins or loses here. TB will lose. The country will win."
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President and Congress MP Rajeev Shukla gave insights into the legacy of this cricket match, which he said is organised every year by the Constitution Club of India.
"The match is being organised by the Constitution Club of India. It is organised every year... 'TB Mukt Bharat' is the cause of the match. This has been a tradition. It has been happening since the Nehru era," he said.
Speaking with ANI, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, "A campaign is underway in the country, and we have largely succeeded in ensuring that no one has to lose their life to TB. Many treatments and precautions for it have already arrived, and to raise awareness among people about it, we are playing a cricket match.
"Today, on one side, there will be the team of MPs, and on the other side, the Delhi Police team, and we are going to play an exhibition match," he added.
Last year, Members of Parliament faced a team of actors, captained by Suniel Shetty, featuring Bollywood celebrities such as Sohail Khan, Sharad Kelkar, Raja Bhervani, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Freddy Daruwala, Sameer Kochhar, Navdeep Tomar, Sunny Deol, Abhishek Kapoor, Siddharth Jadhav, and Muddasir Bhat.
The actors defeated the MPs in the cricket match.
President Droupadi Murmu launched the 'Pradhan Mantri TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan' on September 9, 2022. The Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan has been envisioned to bring together all community stakeholders to support those on TB treatment and accelerate the country's progress towards TB elimination.