BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition BJD on Monday launched a scathing attack on the BJP government alleging that Hockey India (HI) has threatened to downgrade Hockey Association of Odisha (HAO)’s status from a “permanent member” to an “associate member”.
Accusing the Mohan Majhi government of neglecting hockey and Odisha’s identity in the sport, the regional party said HAO’s non-compliance with HI’s bylaws had led to an adverse report by the electoral officer which stopped the HAO’s scheduled elections on October 3.
The criticism from the BJD came days after HI, in its executive body meeting held on October 6 in New Delhi, issued a show-cause notice the next day, questioning HAO’s non-compliance with the HI bylaws and proposed to downgrade Odisha’s status from a “permanent member” to an “associate member”.
Addressing a media conference here, senior BJD leader and former Sports minister Tushar Kanti Behera and party spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said HI had raised three grounds of concern, including serious deficiencies in the functioning of HAO’s 30 district units.
Stating that the absence of the required documentation prevented finalisation of electoral roll for the HAO elections, the BJD leaders said the state association has been given two weeks to submit comprehensive documentation, including proof of elections and the requisite statutory authorisations.
The BJD urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Sports minister Suryabanshi Suraj to intervene to protect HAO’s permanent membership and reverse what it termed gradual loss of Odisha’s hockey identity.
“Odisha had become global capital of hockey. However, the double-engine government’s apathy in the past two-and-a-half years has led to a decline in quality of the sport in Odisha,” they said.
Stating that hockey is an emotive issue for Odisha, they said former chief minister Naveen Patnaik had taken the sport to new heights by sponsoring the national teams, hosting two consecutive Men’s Hockey World Cups and building world-class infrastructure like the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
“Odisha earned global identity for hockey but now faces embarrassment due to mismanagement. The game of hockey, which brought pride for Odisha, is now being undermined under the BJP government. This is not Odia Asmita,” the BJD said.
