New Delhi, February 21 Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Saturday asserted that there is no place for "ego" in governance, emphasizing that "teamwork" is crucial for people-centric development.
Addressing the inaugural session of the 15th Indian Student Parliament in Pune, Gupta said, "In sports, victory belongs to the team; in politics, the true victory must belong to the people."
Speaking on the theme "From Stadium to Statesmanship: What Can Politics Learn from Sports?", he described the playing field as a classroom for public life and said that values acquired through sports can strengthen democratic functioning.
"Sports offer a 'sanjeevani' (lifeline) to modern politics through three pillars: discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship. In a healthy democracy, the Constitution acts as the ultimate rulebook, much like the laws governing a game," he said.
"Just as an athlete strives to keep the Tricolour high, a public representative must work with selfless devotion to uphold the dignity of the nation," Gupta said.
Urging young leaders to adopt a healthy democratic spirit, the speaker said that political opponents should be viewed not as "enemies" but as "competitors."
"A captain is tested in a crisis; similarly, a leader's true mettle is proven when the nation faces a challenge," Gupta said.
Accepting defeat gracefully and respecting the winner is the hallmark of a progressive society, he added.
