Chandigarh: Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda on Wednesday urged Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider Haryana for hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games and co-hosting the 2036 Olympics, alleging the BJP govt was overlooking the state’s sporting credentials in favour of Gujarat.Hooda said the events could attract an estimated Rs 2.34 lakh crore in investment, bringing major infrastructure and economic benefits to Haryana. He claimed the state accounts for around 2% of India’s population but contributes 21% of its Olympic contingent and more than 50% of the country’s medals.He alleged the govt had not submitted a proposal for hosting or co-hosting the events despite Saini visiting Gujarat for an investment roadshow. Hooda said the Games could spur development of stadiums, sports academies, metro networks, highways and sports villages.The Congress MP also accused the BJP govt of neglecting sports infrastructure, discontinuing the previous Congress regime’s ‘Padak Lao, Pad Pao’ policy linking sporting achievements to govt jobs, and ending the SPAT scheme to nurture school-level talent.He alleged the govt had failed to maintain 481 stadiums built under the previous Congress regime and cited the deaths of two basketball players after a dilapidated pole collapsed during practice as evidence of poor sports facilities.
