Don’t politicise sports, INLD leader Abhay tells Hooda

Our Correspondent

Sirsa, August 9

Abhay Singh Chautala, the national general secretary of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), urged former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to stop politicising the achievements of athletes. Speaking to the media at his residence on Thursday evening, Chautala responded to Hooda’s recent statement, where Hooda claimed that if his government was in power, he would have sent wrestler Vinesh Phogat to the Rajya Sabha.

Chautala questioned why Hooda, during his tenure as the Chief Minister did not offer any Olympian a Rajya Sabha seat. Instead, Hooda prioritised his son, Deepender Hooda. Chautala promised that if the INLD-BSP alliance came to power with the support of the people, they would offer Vinesh Phogat a job as an HCS officer or DSP.

Chautala highlighted that it was during the INLD regime that cash rewards were first introduced for Olympics medalists. For instance, Karanam Malleswari was awarded Rs 25 lakh and a house worth crores today for her silver medal at the Olympics, a policy later adopted nationwide.