Golden Girl PT Usha Has Been Nominated To The Rajya Sabha

Legendary music director Ilaiyaraaja, celebrated athlete PT Usha, film screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad and spiritual leader Veerendra Heggade were nominated to Rajya Sabha.

The Narendra Modi government on Wednesday nominated four famous personalities from the south to the Rajya Sabha – athlete P T Usha, legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja, screenwriter-director K V Vijayendra Prasad and Jain priest Veerendra Heggade.

Coming after the choice of Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman, as the NDA nominee for the upcoming Presidential polls, appears to have generated excitement among the Scheduled Tribes in many parts of India, and the naming of the four was seen as yet another instance of the Modi government recognising who have made a mark in their fields to send out political messages.

Although all four of the new Rajya Sabha nominees come from different fields of work, they all have influenced the country and made a name for themselves through their achievements.

PT Usha, one of the best athletes in India, was born in a small village in Kozhikode district in Kerala. She has been a role model and inspiration for millions of girls across the globe. She also runs a sports school, named Usha School Of Athletics, in Kinalur, Kerala. Usha School of Athletics is an organization which is dedicated to “advancing promotion and practice of sports at possible levels with state-of-the-art facilities in athletic skill development.” Tintu Luka, the current 800 metres national record holder and an Asian Games medalist, is the most famous alumni of Usha’s athletics school.

After she was nominated to the Upper House of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his praise, saying, “The remarkable PT Usha Ji is an inspiration for every Indian. Her accomplishments in sports are widely known but equally commendable is her work to mentor budding athletes over the last several years. Congratulations to her on being nominated to the Rajya Sabha. @PTUshaOfficial”

“Rajya Sabha nominations show yet another instance of the Modi government recognising outstanding Indians who have made a mark in diverse fields. The choice of personalities with illustrious careers in their respective fields and who have achieved national and global recognition for their contributions is in keeping with the spirit of the scheme to recognise excellence by nominating them to the Upper House,” government sources said.