Teen players’ deaths trigger BJP-AAP political firestorm

The tragic death of two promising teenaged basketball players in separate freak accidents in Haryana has triggered a fierce political confrontation between the BJP and AAP. What should have prompted an introspective debate on the state’s dilapidated sports infrastructure — despite Haryana being regarded as India’s sporting powerhouse — has instead spiralled into a full-blown political slugfest.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s sudden visit to one of the bereaved families in Rohtak further escalated tensions between the AAP-led Punjab Government and the BJP-led Haryana Government. This was Mann’s first publicly acknowledged visit to the neighbouring state, even though Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has been visiting Punjab frequently in the run-up to the February 2027 Assembly elections. While AAP is attempting to counter anti-incumbency, the BJP sees an opening to strengthen its presence in Punjab post-2027.

Amid the backdrop of “crumbling” sports infrastructure in Haryana, Mann — evidently alarmed by Saini’s growing engagements in Punjab — hit out at the BJP, urging the BJP-led Central Government to take note of the deteriorating sports facilities across the country ahead of India hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

Denying political motives, Mann insisted he had come “as the sports minister and a sports lover,” claiming he had informed Saini about his visit. “I had kept the Haryana Chief Minister in the loop,” he asserted.

In response, the Haryana Government deployed its young Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam to counter Mann. Gautam, who had visited Rohtak prior to Mann to offer condolences, urged him to avoid “playing politics over the tragedies” and announced an audit of sports infrastructure across the state.

Meanwhile, Saini, while announcing a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the victims’ families, hit back, saying “Mann should mind his own business. He should rather focus on Punjab’s drug menace, which is playing havoc with the state’s youth, instead of worrying about Haryana.” He also reminded Mann that “a promising player was murdered in the stadium.”

As Mann called the deaths a result of a “failed system” in Haryana, Gautam swiftly countered by pointing to the “sorry state of sports infrastructure and the poor plight of sportspersons in Punjab.”

While accusations continue to fly between the two governments, the real issue — the urgent need for a comprehensive audit and overhaul of Haryana’s sports infrastructure, in a state that consistently delivers India’s highest Olympic and world championship medal tallies — appears buried under political rhetoric.