Bajrang Punia. (Source: PTI)Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat continued to criticise the Haryana government on Thursday for its policy reducing cash prizes for athletes winning at multiple international events, and got backing from other athletes like Neeraj Chopra and Yogeshwar Dutt.
Punia, who has been among the athletes leading the charge against the Haryana government’s policy on cash awards, tweeted on Thursday saying that while the Indian government was coming up with schemes to encourage participation in sports, the state government has come up with schemes to bring sportsmen to their knees. In one tweet, Punia said that the government shouldn’t try to fool the athletes and in a third tweet said that the policy seemed like the government was upset about the athletes doing well.
एक तरफ भारत सरकार अपने खिलाड़ियों को प्रोत्साहित करने के लिए TOPS,KHELO INDIA जैसे विभिन्न स्किम बना रहे है ताकि भारत का खेल जगत में नाम रोशन हो । दूसरी तरफ हरियाणा में खिलाड़ियों को हतोत्साहित करने का षड्यंत्र रचा जा रहा है ताकि खिलाड़ी घुटने के बल पर आ जाए।@narendramodi @cmohry
— Bajrang Punia 🇮🇳 (@BajrangPunia) 27 June 2019
घुटने के बल पर खड़ा होकर देश कि जिम्मेदारी नहीं उठायी जाएगी साहब। यह सम्मानित करने का मृगतृष्णा दिखाकर हमें और दिशा भ्रमित न करें। हम खिलाड़ी भले ही सिधे-साधे लोग हैं पर हमे बेवकूफ साबित करने की कोशिश न करें। @mlkhattar @anilvijminister
— Bajrang Punia 🇮🇳 (@BajrangPunia) 27 June 2019
पिछले 30 सालों में एसियन गैमस और कोमन व्येलथ गैमस एक ही साल हुए हैं। आप दोबारा से देखिए, आप खेल मंत्री है इस तरह की चूक आप से नहीं होनी चाहिए। दरअसल बात तो यह है कि खिलाड़ियों की परफॉर्मेंस में सुधार आने का दुख आप के पोलिशी में झलक रहा हैं।@anilvijminister जीं pic.twitter.com/lg1RMsZOlU
— Bajrang Punia 🇮🇳 (@BajrangPunia) 27 June 2019
Phogat also tweeted in support of Punia, saying that it didn’t just concern the two of them and that the nation would listen to them even if the Haryana government did not.
सर यह बजरंग और विनेश की बात नहीं है ये हर उस खिलाड़ी की आवाज़ है जो आपकी बनाई पॉलिसी से हरियाणा में परेशान है, उनकी सुनने वाला कोई नहीं है या यूँ कहूँ आप उनकी बातों को अनसुना कर देते हैं लेकिन हमारी आवाज़ को देश सुनता है और हम हमेशा बोलेंगे। @anilvijminister @mlkhattar
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) 27 June 2019
Earlier, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra had also tweeted saying that the Haryana government should stick to its promises and allow athletes to focus on the Olympics and doing well for the nation.
ओर आपने जो खिलाड़ियों को इनाम राशि देने का वादा किया था कृपया उसे पूरा करे ताकि हम इन चीज़ों से ध्यान हटा के अपना पूरा focus आने वाले Olympic खेलो पर लगा सके ओर अपने देश व राज्य का नाम रोशन कर सके 🙏
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) 26 June 2019
Olympian Yogeshwar Dutt also spoke up in support of the athletes and said they should be told about why the reduction in prize money is taking place. “Increase their motivation so that they can win the nation more medals in the upcoming Olympics,” Dutt tweeted.
खेल मंत्री श्री @anilvijminister जी खिलाड़ियों की प्राइज़मनी में कटोती करना बहुत ही दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है.प्राइज़मनी में कटोती करने का कारण खिलाड़ियों को बताओ खिलाड़ी हरियाणा व देश का मान बढ़ाते हैं.उनका मनोबल बड़ाओ जिसे वो आने वाले अलिम्पिक देश के लिए ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा पदक जीत सके।
— Yogeshwar Dutt (@DuttYogi) 26 June 2019
The Haryana government’s new award policy states: “”In case a sportsperson wins more than one medal during a financial year, he/she will receive full award money for the highest medal and at 50 per cent of the award money for the second and subsequent medals.” This has meant last year’s Asian Games medal winners from the state, who also bagged medals at the Commonwealth Games, have received reduced prize money due to multiple victories at international events in the same financial year.
The news sports policy also means that if a player wins a medal in world championship in the same year as Olympics or Asian Games/CWG, the medal in higher category will alone be given the full cash prize.
The Haryana government had also cancelled the cash awards function for 3000 state players and had informed the athletes about the money being deposited in their bank accounts by June 25.
In the Commonwealth Games held at Australia last year, Haryana had won one-third of India’s medals with a total of 22 medals out of 66 medals won. In the Asian Games held in Indonesia, Haryana players accounted for 17 medals out of 61 medals bagged by the country.
Haryana’s sports minister Anil Vij said on Wednesday that the cash awards being given to athletes was merely in keeping with the new policy and that the state had never disrespected its athletes.
