Tumultuous welcome was given to BCCI president Anurag Thakur on his first visit to Mandi district with thousands of sports lovers and the cricket fans, BJP youth wing volunteers and BJP workers from Mandi, Kulu and Bilaspur converging to greet him.
People in the area say he has brought laurels to the backward State of Himachal Pradesh by getting elected unanimously to the prestigious post of BCCI chief.
Thousands of people from Bilaspur, Mandi and Hamirpur, including MlAs, converged on this occasion to congratulate him for unanimously getting elected for the prestigious post, which was a matter of big honour for the small hilly State of country.
Entire 50-km route between Slappar and Mandi portion of the National Highway had been decorated with arches where fans of Anurag were lining up holding flowers and garlands in their hands. It took several hours for him to meet and greet his supporters.
led by president Mandi cricket Association Ajai Rana, hundreds of fans of Anurag were felicitating his first visit after becoming BCCI chief to Mandi by raising slogans, “Anurag Agey Bharo, Hum Tumare Sath Hain”. Former Forest Minister, Thakur Rup Singh, National Secretary of BJP, Narender Attri, Rakesh Jamwal, district president of BJP were present among others to welcome Anurag, whose road show was described as historic.
At Sundernagar and Mandi, the BJP MP from Hamirpur and BCCI chief expressed deep pain over the hostile attitude of Virbhadra Singh who relentlessly conspired to create hurdles in his way of bringing Himachal Pradesh on the world map of cricket by adopting fair or foul means.
He announced that if the Government provides land in or around Mandi town the BCCI would make a world class Cricket Stadium for harnessing the innate and inherent talent of the youths which was in abundance in the State. But the only bottleneck was the perverse and narrow mindset of those in power, he bemoaned.
He also assured the sportspersons converged at Sundernagar in thousands that the HPCA would provide gymnasium for them.