PT Usha cries for help, alleges security threat at her institution
(Twitter)
The legendary athlete and president of the Indian Olympic Association, P T Usha, sobbed in front of the media on Saturday, alleging that unauthorised construction was taking place on the campus of her academy in the Kozhikode district and that trespassers were endangering the safety of the students.
Speaking at a news conference in New Delhi, she said that the harassment and security concerns affecting students at the Usha School of Athletics had been becoming worse since she joined the Rajya Sabha. The BJP nominated Usha for the Upper House in July 2022.
The "sprint queen" urged Kerala's Left-leaning administration and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to step in and take quick action to address the reported invasion and trespassing into the campus and protect the women athletes there.
"Of the 25 women athletes in the Usha schools, 11 were from north India. It is our responsibility to ensure their safety. I submitted a written complaint to the Chief Minister in this regard," she said.
Usha, who was visibly moved to tears, added that the campus was being heavily polluted and that the drug cartel was posing a threat, but the local panchayat was refusing to allow the school administration to build a perimeter wall.
"An illegal construction was made just in the middle of the campus by someone and when we asked, they said they had the approval of the panchayat authorities for it. The school management also had to suffer rude behaviour when they questioned this encroachment," she said.
Usha claimed that the former Oommen Chandy-led Congress administration in the state gave them a 30-year lease on the 30-acre property where the Usha School of Athletics is located.
She said that each political party had a history of viewing her as a member of its political adversary when asked if individuals at her institution were experiencing harassment and unfair treatment as a result of her nomination by the BJP to the Rajya Sabha.
"The Congress would say I am a CPI(M) sympathiser while the Marxist party would say I have an affiliation to the BJP. I have no politics and I used to help everyone in all possible ways," she added.
