Hooda hits out at BJP govt over Haryana’s sports infrastructure

Chandigarh: 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.