PANAJI: Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) leader and tennis ace Leander Paes on Wednesday said the Mamta Banerjee-led party takes up serious issues and does not get dragged into agendas of other parties.
Paes was addressing a meeting of the party's Goa unit, ahead of his campaigning for the state Assembly election, which he will begin from Thursday.
"We take up hard issues such as water, women's safety and mining, and we take them on head-on. We do not dip our feet into the circles that other parties are trying to dragged us into," he said, referring to the recent allegations that the TMC was contesting elections in Goa to divide the anti-BJP votes.
"Tomorrow is my first day of campaigning. For the last 30 years, I have represented the country around the world. I have lost many matches, but I knew which tournaments to win at the Grand Slam, Olympics and David Cup," Paes said.
Paes hailed former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro, who also joined the TMC, and party leader Derek O'Brien, terming them as his inspirations.
"I have been sitting this morning with someone who I look up to tremendously. Faleiro sir is a guide, confidant and a leader that we all can look up to," he said.
The TMC has announced that it will be contesting the Goa legislative Assembly elections, which are due in February 2022.