Calcutta, April 19: He has joined the multitude of celebrities who have been travelling the length and breadth of the country, campaigning for the BJP. He hasn’t sought a nomination though, and, for an ex-cricketer, has well-moulded political viewpoints.

Mohinder Amarnath, India’s 1983 World Cup hero, joined the BJP in 1994. Not having been too active for a while (“the coaching assignment in Bangladesh in particular”), he has now dived into the deep end of the campaign pool. He speaks at roadside meets and rallies, and even at one-on-ones with the “common man”.

Having toured constituencies in Bihar, Jharkhand and even Gujarat, Mohinder has seen more of the country now than he did in his playing days. He speaks eloquently about Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s “vision”, talks of the “feel good factor” in the backdrop of the immensely successful Pakistan tour, and says he is “enjoying my new innings”.

The seed of politics was sown early. “When Lal Bahadur Shastri was Prime Minister, my father (Lala Amarnath)’s reputation was still immense,” Mohinder said from Ahmedabad over telephone.

“The two had met, and my father was virtually ready to join the Congress. But tragedy struck, as Shastriji passed away in Tashkent. And that was the end of that chapter.”

What was the ideological synergy between the two? “I am not too sure, we were too young and dared not question our father on such personal issues,” says Mohinder.

It is interesting, though, that Mohinder chose a party that traces its roots to the Jan Sangh. “There never was any Hinduvta angle to my selecting the party,” says Mohinder. “I had always wanted to do something for the common man, and here I found a party which has a progressive mindset and is modern and a party that gives me the opportunity to do that. In my father’s time the Congress was the only national party.” But the all-rounder admits that the BJP cannot really call itself a national party.

As a sportsman, he says he can cut straight to the point with minimum fuss unlike seasoned politicians. “I have noticed people listen when I speak. It’s not just because I am Mohinder Amarnath, but because they like what I am telling them,” he says.

But Mohinder is not willing to mix politics and sport. “They are two different things altogether. But I don’t see anything wrong in a sportsperson coming into politics,” he says. “Politics is always within ourselves. It’s a man-management technique; we do it at home too. And I am an Indian, I am a part of this psyche, this country,” he adds.

Mohinder, though, shows he has learned how to deflect pointed questions. Asked if he doesn’t feel it necessary to address the Gujarat carnage or what he thinks about interacting with the likes of Narendra Modi, he says: “There are many things in this world that are done on the spur of the moment. Some unfortunate things did happen in the past... You cannot really dump the blame on any one person. Let the law decide what is right… But I sincerely feel what happened should not happen anywhere in the country.”

Mohinder, who votes in Mumbai North, says: “Look, I am not campaigning for any particular person. I am campaigning for the party. That’s the big issue, the big picture. I am highlighting economic and political issues, and foreign policy.”

He is expected to visit Bengal (and Calcutta) later this month. He says he has been finding campaigning “challenging”. “It’s the first time I have been in touch with the common man... it’s very refreshing.”