Politicians should stay away from sports: Mulayam

NEW DELHI: In the wake of IPL spot-fixing controversy, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today said politicians should stay away from sports.

Commenting on spot-fixing allegations in IPL, he termed it as "unfortunate" and said it has given bad name to sportpersons.

"Politicians should do politics and sportpersons should concentrate on their game," he told reporters.

Yadav targeted cricket saying local sports should not be ignored because of this "foreign game".

"From the beginning I have been against cricket, we should not ignore local games. We should give importance to those games and not the foreign games like cricket," he said.

On the issue of dealing Naxalism after last week's attack in Chhattisgarh, the SP chief said, "Their legitimate demands should be met but the government should also use force."

To a poser on whether army should be deployed in Naxal-hit areas, the former defence minister said paramilitary forces - CRPF and BSF - were equally competent to deal with any situation.