Chandigarh, Nov 28 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday slammed his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann for his remarks following the deaths of two teenagers in separate incidents of basketball pole collapses in the BJP-ruled state, saying it was unfortunate to indulge in politics over such tragedies.
While 16-year-old Hardik — who had taken part in the national sub-junior basketball championship — died during practice at Lakhan Majra village in Rohtak on Tuesday, 15-year-old Aman, who was injured in Bahadurgarh, breathed his last during treatment at PGIMS Rohtak on Monday.
Mann, who visited Rathi’s family in Rohtak on Thursday, questioned the condition of Haryana’s sports infrastructure and asked what could be “a bigger insecurity for parents” than worrying about their children’s safety on sports grounds. He, however, maintained that he was there “as a sports lover” and not for politics.
Hitting out at the Punjab chief minister, Saini said, “I want to tell Bhagwant Mann that it is a good thing to go and share the grief with the family, but politics should not be done in such issues”.
Saini, who was talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at the Chandigarh Railway Station, pointed to incidents in Punjab where kabaddi players were murdered and asked Mann to “look within his own state”.
Haryana’s Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam had on Thursday termed Mann’s remarks made during his visit to Rohtak as “politically motivated”.
Meanwhile, Saini said Haryana’s athletes are the state’s pride and said a thorough inspection of all sports infrastructure has been ordered following the deaths.
The Haryana chief minister further reminded Mann about the promises made by him and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal of eradicating Punjab’s drug menace within a month of coming to power. “The situation is such that several youths have fallen prey to the scourge,” Saini said.
Saini said while campaigning for his party in Punjab’s Tarn Taran for the recent bypolls there, he stopped at a village where the local residents told him that their children need to be saved from the menace of drugs.
He said the AAP only makes tall claims about tackling the drug problem, while in Haryana regularly conducts cyclothons, marathons, and awareness drives on the drug menace. PTI SUN RHL
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