Chandigarh, Dec 1 (PTI) Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday alleged that the BJP government had completely destroyed Haryana’s sports infrastructure, and said he would not allow the government to play with the lives of sportspersons.
Hooda’s remarks came in the wake of deaths of two sportspersons by accident.
“Two promising athletes have already lost their lives due to the dilapidated condition of the stadiums. We categorically warn the government that any attempt to play around with the lives of sportspersons will not be tolerated,” said the former Haryana chief minister.
Hooda, who is Leader of the Opposition in Haryana, also took on the BJP government on other issues, including Sutlej-Yamuna Link.
He said he will visit stadiums across the state after the Congress rally in Delhi on December 14, and highlight the “poor state of sports infrastructure.” “I will raise this issue together with athletes and sports enthusiasts,” he said.
A junior national level basketball player and another teen died in eerily similar accidents during basketball practice in Haryana after the hoop’s iron pole fell on them last week — the tragedies bringing the state’s sports infrastructure under scrutiny.
While 16-year-old Hardik Rathi, who had taken part in the national sub-junior basketball championship, died in Rohtak on Tuesday, 15-year-old Aman, who was injured in Bahadurgarh, breathed his last during treatment at PGIMS Rohtak on the previous Monday.
“The deaths of two young athletes while playing basketball in Bahadurgarh and Lakhanmajra are extremely sad and unfortunate,” Hooda said here.
“The BJP government is solely responsible for this. Despite MP Deepender Hooda’s grant of Rs 12 lakh, the government failed to improve the condition of the grounds and poles,” he added.
“This is not a simple accident or a normal death, but a murder caused by government negligence,” he added, as he demanded an impartial, high-level investigation into the entire matter and the strictest possible action against the culprits and compensation to the kin of the two athletes.
Hooda claimed that the BJP failed to even maintain the “world-class” sports infrastructure built during the Congress government.
“The Congress had formulated a special sports policy to protect youth from drug addiction and crime and encourage them to pursue sports. Under this policy, the state developed excellent sports infrastructure, received the highest cash rewards in the country, and appointed athletes to high-ranking positions, such as DSP, to secure their futures,” he said.
The then Congress dispensation launched Sports Talent Hunts and Sports Academies to identify talent at the school level, “but the BJP government discontinued these schemes. Appointments to high positions were stopped and players were treated step-motherly,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Congress leader also accused the BJP of stepping up to the job on Chandigarh and the SYL canal issues.
“This government is unable to acquire land for the new assembly, nor is it able to provide Haryana with SYL water. Despite clear orders from the Supreme Court, the BJP has failed to provide Haryana with its due water,” Hooda said.
“The BJP’s policy regarding Chandigarh is also indecisive. The government is unable to clarify whether it will remain a shared capital for the two states or become a full-fledged Union Territory. Sometimes it says one thing, sometimes another,” he said.
On the contentious SIR, Hooda alleged that the Election Commission is rushing things. PTI SUN VN VN
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