While scrolling through my Instagram, I came across the video which I watched over and over again. The video spewed anger, helplessness, courage, and willingness to fight for her rights. The video was of Malika Handa. Malika Handa is a world champion, she has won a gold and two silver medals at the World Deaf Chess Championships. In the video, the champion was seen showing her medals and was very agitated. The reason for agitation is infuriating. It is the anger of an unfulfilled promise. A promise of reward for her merit. A promise that went for a compromise.
It is disturbing to note that when a sportsperson bags international medals, the politicians run after them to honor offering them government jobs and cash rewards worth crores. The offers stand null and void. There have been instances where they have been called out for not keeping promises.
In the latest event, Malika Handa accused the Punjab government of not fulfilling the promises made to her. She was informed that the state government can’t give her a job and cash reward as the government does not have any such policy for deaf sports.
Handa said that she was “clearly” told by the Punjab Sports Minister Pargat Singh that the promise was made by the minister in the previous government and the current government “cannot do” anything about it. She also added that her five years got wasted.
I am very feeling Hurt
— Malika Handa🇮🇳🥇 (@MalikaHanda) January 2, 2022
31 dec I met sports minister of Punjab @PargatSOfficial
Now He said punjab Govt can not give job and Not cash award accept to (Deaf sports) because they do not have policy for deaf sports.
Cc: @CHARANJITCHANNI @sherryontopp @RahulGandhi @rhythmjit @ANI pic.twitter.com/HhYEWbGJ7E
According to Handa, the former Punjab sports minister had announced a cash award for her.
“I am only asking why it was announced. My time Waste 5 years on Congress govt. They fool me.. not care about deaf person sports. District Congress all told me that supports, promised me after 5 years that happen is nothing now. Why Punjab govt doing this?” she added.
World champion Malika Handa’s mother slams Punjab government for not fulfilling promises made to her daughter
Not the First time
It is not the first time that sportsperson has shown their discontent towards the hollow grand promises of the politicians on social media. The politicians announce hefty rewards to get the media coverage and fail to keep up with it.
In 2019, Twitter witnessed an unseemly war of words between Haryana Sports Minister Anil Vij and ace shooter Manu Bhaker over a promised cash reward
The controversy was sparked off by a tweet from the 16-year-old sportsperson, who wondered if Vij actually intended to honor his promise of giving her a cash reward of ₹ 2 crores for winning the Youth Olympic Games-2018. Her post contained screenshots from the politician’s Twitter handle and a simple query: “Sir, Please confirm if it is correct… Or just Jumla (false promise)…”
The screenshots showed Vij announcing that Haryana’s BJP-led administration will grant the sportsperson a cash prize of ₹ 2 crores, as opposed to the ₹ 10-lakh monetary awards given by previous governments.
Bhaker has made her mark in shooting ranges across the world, winning multiple golds in the ISSF World Cup and Commonwealth Games, as well as the top prize at the Youth Olympics last October. She hails from Goria village in Jhajjar.
In 2018, sportspersons indulged in a spat with the Haryana government over a controversial order requiring them to deposit one-third of their income from professional sports or commercial endorsements with the state sports council. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar later suspended the order.
