‘Petty politics of the worst kind’: Naveen on new hockey jersey

BHUBANESWAR: Former chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Thursday lashed at the move to change the Indian national hockey team jersey from blue to saffron, alleging it was an attempt to politicise the national sport.

In a social media post after Hockey India unveiled the new jersey, Naveen said, “The iconic shade of blue of the Indian hockey team is not just a colour, it is an emotion associated with the nation’s sporting heritage. Any change in this colour is a crass attempt to erase the priceless sporting legacy. This is petty politics of the worst kind.”

“Our blue jersey is to us what the iconic stripes are to Argentina and the yellow jersey is to Brazil. It is etched in our collective memory. National symbols are meant to unite us not divide,” he reasoned.

The Leader of Opposition in Assembly said the blue jersey had, for decades, united the country through victories, defeats and the pursuit of sporting excellence. He alleged that the change had been made under pressure from the BJP government in Odisha. “I strongly condemn this attempt by BJP Odisha to politicise a national game like hockey. It has deeply hurt the sentiments of lakhs of sports lovers across the country and the pride with which Odisha has supported the national hockey,” he added.

The former chief minister said Indian teams have won Olympic medals wearing the blue jersey with the national anthem playing on the world stage. “The blue is derived from the blue chakra in the national flag. It is a symbol of national pride and identity. Just because the government changed in Odisha, it should not change our national team colours,” he said.