Bhaichung Bhutia auctions 2 jerseys to raise money for ‘clean politics’

Baichung Bhutia (Image: Insidesport.com)

Former Indian football team captain, Bhaichung Bhutia, recently put two of his favourite jerseys up for sale, to raise funds for Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP).

The online donation drive to "raise clean money for clean politics in Sikkim" began at 10 am on March 25.

According to Eastmojo.com, one of the two jerseys was the one he wore for the 'Match against poverty' organised by UNDP, which featured football icons such as Zinedine Zidane (France) and Figo (Portugal) and were also signed by several iconic football stars. The other was from his farewell match for India held in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, against German football club Bayern Munich in 2012.

The highest donor got the ‘Match against Poverty’ jersey, while the second highest bidder got the other one.

The footballer-turned-politician wrote on Twitter: "Dear Football fans and fellow Indians, we have started a political party in Sikkim. Like other states, it also has many issues like corruption, unemployment, farmers distress, etc. In this fight, we need your support...". He shared details of the auction on Twitter, mentioning the fundraiser will be absolutely transparent.

HSP was formed in March last year. The party manifesto talks about implementing policies to ensure a 'Happy Sikkim' within five years. These include programmes to make the youth self-reliant and safeguard them from the politics of slogans.

The tiny hill state, which goes for simultaneous polls on April 11, has traditionally been a stronghold of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which had won in the past two elections.

“We are here to cleanse the caste-corruption-muscle ridden politics of Sikkim. Clean money for this brand of politics must come from common people. That is why I have decided to gift two of my favourite jerseys to persons who make the highest and second highest donation to the campaign of Hamro Sikkim Party,” Bhutia said.

He added: “I know that there are many public-spirited sports-lovers in India and I hope they will come forward and make handsome donations to the cause of clean politics in India. I have deep emotional attachments to my jerseys but I have an even deeper resolve to make Sikkim a better place for all. I am ready to give up my personal emotions for the larger cause of a new, clean Sikkim and realise the slogan ‘Naya Sikkim, Hamro Sikkim’.”