THIRUVANANTHAPURAMExcited about being nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Centre, legendary sprinter PT Usha on Thursday thanked her supporters and well-wishers across the country and said their faith in them would go a long way in taking her journey forward. Your support and faith in me buoyed by wonderful wishes from all over India will go a long way in shaping my journey from here onwards. Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ tweeted Usha. She also shared a picture of her cutting and sharing a cake with her husband and a few others to mark the occasion.
Soon after the announcement came last night, she also expressed her gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through her Twitter handle and said that she was ‘deeply touched’ by his kind words about him.
‘I will always give my best for any responsibility given to me, and will work for the betterment of all of us Indians. Jai Hind’ he tweeted on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, wishes are pouring in from various quarters to congratulate the veteran athlete on his new achievement. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wished him the best, saying his tenure as a Rajya Sabha member would be beneficial for sports and help strengthen secular democracy.
Read: PT Usha, Ilaiyaraaja nominated to Rajya Sabha, PM Narendra Modi praised
Hearty congratulations to @PTUshaOfficial on being nominated to the Rajya Sabha. As a brilliant athlete and inspiring mentor, you have done Kerala and India proud. Hope your tenure will be beneficial for our sports and help strengthen our secular democracy,’ he tweeted.
Malayalam superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal also congratulated him on his new achievement. Mammootty tweeted, “Congratulations to our beloved PT Usha on being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.”
In his tweet, Mohanlal described Usha as the ‘Queen of Track and Field’.
The Center on Wednesday nominated four eminent personalities, including renowned athlete PT Usha and music maestro Ilaiyaraaja, from several southern states, to the Rajya Sabha, which has been named as the ruling BJP’s bigwig to recognize prominent personalities from South India. Viewed as outreach.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the four and cited their contribution in their respective fields.
Remarkable PT Usha ji is an inspiration for every Indian. His achievements in sports are widely known, but his work guiding budding athletes over the years is equally commendable. Congratulations on being nominated to the Rajya Sabha,’ Modi tweeted
Popularly known as Payyoli Express, Usha has won medals for the country in various international sporting events including Asian Games, Asian Championships and World Junior Invitational Meet. She set and broke many national and Asian records during her career.