Badal failed to keep promises as sports minister, says Bajwa

Criticises him for not promoting games in Punjab

The Punjab Congress on Saturday said that deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has “failed” to honour his commitments, as the sports as well as the home minister.

“The man who goes about claiming mega success by organising politicised Kabbadi World Cup has ignored forgotten and failed to honour his commitments as a sports minister,” said Pratap Singh Bajwa, Congress state chief.

He further alleged that though around Rs 11 crore of tax payers’ money was spent on flamboyant Bollywood star-studded opening and closing ceremonies of the Kabbadi World Cup, he has no time, interest or money to promote sports in Punjab as the head of the department.

Medal winners in national and international games are awaiting their cash rewards for the last two-and-half years, he said. The SAD-BJP combine government has failed to give the state’s highest sports awards — Maharaja Ranjit Singh Awards — since the year 2006 to outstanding sportspersons, he said.

“He has no money to spare for kits of 4,000 trainees in the residential and day boarding sports wing institutes across Punjab,” he said.

Sukhbir also faltered to utilise the Rs 20 crore central grant under the Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan, due to his inability to contribute the 25 per cent share of the state, he said.

“As a result, Punjab failed to create new playgrounds in about 2,500 villages of the state and could not buy equipments provided for under the said central scheme,” he added. The soaring crime graph in the state reveals the failure of Sukhbir as home minister, Bajwa said.