Kolkata, May 15 (IANS) Veteran actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty on Friday said that the Bengal Football Academy was a long-cherished dream of him, which could not materialise earlier due to political hurdles, but expressed confidence that the newly formed BJP government in West Bengal would now help turn the vision into reality.

Speaking to IANS after meeting Minister Nisith Pramanik in Kolkata to discuss the proposed football academy, Mithun Chakraborty said he had been trying for the past 15 years to establish the institution.

“Bengal Football Academy has been a dream of mine for the past 15 years. They (TMC) didn’t let me do anything. Whatever I wanted to do, they had stopped me, and then I also got fed up. But this year our government has come, and we have got such a good minister. So, I came here and told him that I want to do this again,” he said.

The actor-politician also spoke about his political journey and the BJP’s rise in the state, saying he had worked tirelessly at the grassroots level over the last five years.

“Why did I work so hard? Not from today, I have been working hard for five years. For five years, I went to small villages, streets, and lanes and held meetings. Just to bloom the lotus. We had nothing else; we just wanted to say that everyone should come under one roof,” he added.

Praising Mithun Chakraborty’s passion for football, Nisith Pramanik said the actor had not forgotten Bengal’s deep connection with the sport despite achieving immense success in the film industry.

“Mithun Da is not just a big figure in Bollywood. You all know that he is a big football fan; he was a very good footballer himself. We also watched a lot of his matches. This is a very proud moment for us. Today, such a big figure, who has touched the sky in his position, has not forgotten Bengal’s most beloved sport, football,” the minister said.

“He still wants to do something for football and is even ready to die for football,” Pramanik added.

–IANS

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