Former Indian hockey captain Prabodh Tirky joins Congress party

Bhubaneswar: Former India Hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey joined the Congress party during a special joining program held at Congress Bhawan here today.

Tirkey joined the grand old party in the presence of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Sarat Patnaik, State in-charge A Chella Kumar, Jatni MLA Suresh Rautray, former OPCC President Niranjan Patnaik and others.

“The ideology of every party is different but the ideology of Congress party attracted me. Besides, the works and words of senior party MP Rahul Gandhi have influenced me, which is why I decided to join Congress,” said Tirkey while speaking to Kalinga TV after joining the party.

“It is true that the position of the Congress party in Odisha is not satisfactory. But it we all will work unitedly to strengthen the party at the grassroot level. Besides, the party is gradually gaining supports across the country,” he added.

Apart from Tirky, many others also joined the party today, informed Sarat Patnaik on his X handle (formerly known as Twitter).

Former Indian hockey captain Prabodh Tirki’s joining of @INCIndia marks a powerful moment for our democracy. His inspiration from @RahulGandhi Ji’s Bharat Jodo Yatra shows that people are turning to Congress for service-oriented politics. Welcome, Prabodh, and others. pic.twitter.com/AL5IeSCxSJ

— Sarat Patnaik (@SaratPatINC) September 4, 2023

Prabodh Tirkey, the younger brother of the Indian hockey player Ignace Tirkey, was born on October 6, 1984 at Lulkidihi village of Sundergarh district. He made his debut in the Junior Asia Cup in 2000.

In his early career, Prabodh was the national captain of sub-junior, junior and India-A teams, and finally became the India senior team captain. He has played 135 international matches and was part of the Indian team which won the 2007 Asia Cup in Chennai.

Tirkey was conferred with the Ekalavya Puraskar and Biju Patnaik State Sports Award in 2001 and 2009 respectively.