Narendra Modi had an energetic start to his day in Gangtok on Tuesday, joining children for a game of football and sharing moments from it on his social media.
In the video shared by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is seen wearing a blue tracksuit featuring the Indian flag, taking part in a football session with children. The clip also shows him warming up, scoring a goal, and exchanging high-fives with them.
Before the game, Narendra Modi greeted the children, asked them what they would teach him that day, and playfully joked, “You’re not going to beat me, are you?”
After the session, Narendra Modi interacted with his fellow players and said that practice alone isn’t enough in sports—real passion emerges when you play matches.
He added that in the days ahead, efforts must be made to popularise the sport, reminding the children that India is gearing up for the Olympics and encouraging them by saying they would have become experienced players by then.
Narendra Modi later signed the children’s jerseys and posed for photographs with them. Sharing the video, he captioned it, “A football morning in Gangtok! We learned, we played, we celebrated – and above all, we enjoyed the game.”
Earlier, Narendra Modi shared photos from the football session, captioning them, “Clearly, a refreshing and energising game with these youngsters!”
Narendra Modi unveils major infrastructure projects in Sikkim
During his visit to Sikkim, Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched development projects worth over ₹4,000 crore and also attended the closing ceremony marking 50 years of the state’s statehood at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the projects span multiple sectors – including infrastructure, connectivity, healthcare, education, power, urban development, environment, tourism and agriculture – with the goal of driving comprehensive and inclusive growth across the state.
During his address at the closing ceremony of Sikkim’s 50th year of statehood celebrations, Narendra Modi also criticised the Congress, stating that the progress being achieved by the Bharatiya Janata Party government could have been accomplished earlier, but Congress governments instead “held back Sikkim’s development.”
He said that after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power at the Centre, development in Sikkim regained momentum, adding that the state is set to get railway connectivity for the first time.
He also said his government is not only committed to the “Act East” policy but is equally determined to “Act Fast” in advancing development across the northeastern states.