Under fire from various quarters for his visit to Rio Olympics and giving a miss to the sporting events, Haryana Sports Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday issued a clarification saying that the state delegation did not get tickets to attend the events a day before.
After the media reported that the state delegation led by Anil Vij is spending time at their beach hotel and exploring the city instead of attending the matches of Haryana players at Rio, Vij in a clarification posted on his Facebook page stated, “That is right we could not attend yesterday matches because despite our best efforts we could not get yesterday tickets though we have tickets of all other Indian events...”
led by Sports Minister Anil Vij, the entourage to Rio comprises two MlAs, the media adviser to the Chief Minister, the minister’s private secretary, additional chief secretary (sports) and his private secretary, Director Sports and Joint Secretary Sports. The delegation, largely comprising people from non-sports background is costing the state exchequer Rs 1 crore.
Expressing his displeasure over the media reports and opposition’s criticism over his trip, he said that I accepted the decision of my Govt. and supported by entire opposition in an all party meet taking a decision for postponement of Assembly session from August 19 to August 26 to enable the delegation visit the Rio... Despite being sick and undergoing treatment from PGIMER and facing criticism from the last some days, wrote the Minister.
Giving clarification on travelling in business class, the Sports Minister said, “As far going in Business Class is concerned it as per entitlements. Department has booked as per entitlements some in economy and some in business and this as per many other delegations gone abroad in this Govt. and previous Govt.”
The Congress Party had earlier said the Haryana Sport Minister’s visit to Brazil to attend the 2016 Rio Olympics post the controversy surrounding Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel will add ‘insult to injury’.
Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Haryana Chief Minister also took a dig at Vij’s Rio trip saying that he has gone there for sightseeing and is not concerned with sports at all.
Union Sports Minister Goel, who is currently in the Brazilian capital with a large delegation, had earlier kicked up a storm. The Rio organisers wrote a letter to India’s chef-de-mission, Rakesh Gupta, complaining of the ministerial staff and their rude behaviour with tournament officials and even threatened to cancel Goel’s accreditation.