Muhammad Ali tribute: When the champ met Mrs Gandhi

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BRITISH-Indian industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has revealed how he persuaded Muhammad Ali to fly from the US to New Delhi to meet Indira Gandhi – and described the encounter between the boxing champion and the Indian prime minister as “the greatest comes to meet the greatest”.

The meeting between the two heavyweights took place in 1980 just after Mrs Gandhi had been unexpectedly returned to power.

“Bringing Muhammad Ali to meet Mrs Gandhi was my way of paying tribute to her,” Lord Paul told Eastern Eye.

The steel tycoon’s memories of what happened 36 years ago came flooding back when he heard Ali had passed away at the age of 74 in Phoenix, Arizona last weekend. Ali’s funeral was due to take place on Friday (10) in his hometown of Louisville,

Kentucky.

Mrs Gandhi, who declared a state of emergency in 1975, was turfed out of power in 1977 when the general opinion was she was finished for good.

“No one thought she could return,” said Lord Paul – or Mr Paul, as he then was.

But after the collapse of prime minister Morarji Desai’s coalition government, the Indian electorate brought Mrs Gandhi back to power – “nothing like this had ever happened before in history nor has it happened since”.

Glancing through the papers, an item caught Lord Paul’s attention. It was about a boxer called Muhammad Ali who was described as “the greatest”. He resolved somehow to fix a meeting two of the “greatest” people in the world.

“I got my friends in the US to contact him – I found he admired Mrs Gandhi from far away,” said Lord Paul.

Read more: https://www.easterneye.eu/news/detail/muhammad-ali-tribute-mrs-gandhis-encounter-with-muhammad-ali

Eastern Eye - Latest Technology News - UK

Union boss accused of racism over Priti Patel comment

A union boss has been accused of sexism and racism after appearing to make a derogatory remark about a Conservative minister Priti Patel.

GMB general secretary Tim Roache sparked anger with a comment the Brexit campaigner during a speech in which he made the case for Britain to remain in the EU. He said: “Priti Patel, surely a contradiction in her name.” A spokesman for Britain Stronger in Europe said: “This kind of personal attack has no place in this campaign.” The comment was immediately condemned by allies of Patel, with Tory MP James Cleverly questioning whether Roache was “sexist, racist, blind or all three.”

Conservative MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a Vote Leave spokeswoman, said: “This abuse is a new low for the remain campaign - and is exactly the kind of negativity that voters up and down the country are rejecting.


Read more: https://www.easterneye.eu/news/detail/union-boss-accused-of-racism-over-priti-patel-comment