Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday launched a sharp counterattack on his Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini, asserting that he would continue to meet grieving families despite accusations of “politicising” the recent death of a young basketball player in Rohtak.
Responding to Saini’s remarks, Mann said, “We are in politics, what else are we supposed to do? Will dead bodies start coming out of Haryana’s sports grounds now? If sharing the pain of a young sportsperson’s family is called politics, then we will keep doing that politics.”
Mann, who had visited the family of basketball player Hardik Rathi, who died due to alleged poor sports infrastructure, said the Rohtak incident was not isolated. “It happened in Bahadurgarh as well,” he added, pointing to recurring concerns over sports facilities in Haryana.
Haryana CM Saini had earlier criticised Mann’s visit and advised him to focus on Punjab’s drug problem instead of “interfering” in Haryana’s affairs.
Addressing questions on the SIR issue, Mann said that if any political party had objections, the Election Commission should respond. “Why should people answer? Why does the Election Commission ask for proofs when allegations of EVM hacking emerge? Why doesn’t the Commission itself come forward and prove that EVMs are not hacked?” he asked.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, the Punjab CM said, “If the BJP is so confident about the Modi wave, then why doesn’t it say that elections can be conducted in whatever manner?”
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