Haryana Sports Minister Anil Vij has hit back at India’s shooting sensation Manu Bhaker for criticising the state government over a promise of a cash prize for her Youth Olympics gold medal in October 2018.
Vij stated that Bhaker should have had a word with the sports ministry before taking to social media to criticise the Haryana government and also clarified that the money promised by him will be duly paid to her.
“Manu Bhaker should have first confirmed it from the Sports Deptt. before going to public domain. It is disgusting to denounce a State Govt which is giving highest awards in the Country. Bhaker will will will get 2 crores as tweated by me and as per notification at that time.
“There should be some sense of decipline in players. Bhaker should feel sorry for creating this controversy. She has a long way to go. She should focus on her game only,” Vij tweeted on Friday.
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist had posted screenshots of Vij’s tweet in which he had promised her cash award to the tune of Rs 2 crore on behalf of the state government after Bhaker became the first Indian shooter to win gold at Youth Olympics last year.
“Sir Please confirm if it is correct… Or just Jumla(sic),” Bhaker wrote on Twitter.
Sir Please confirm if it is correct… Or just Jumla… @anilvijminister pic.twitter.com/AtxpLKBSYV
— Manu Bhaker (@realmanubhaker) January 4, 2019
“Congratulations to Manu Bhaker for winning shooting gold in Youth Olympics. Haryana government will give a cash prize of Rs 2 crore to Manu Bhaker on her achievement. Previous governments used to pay Rs 10 lakh,” Anil Vij had written in a series of tweets moments after Bhaker became the first Indian shooter to win a Youth Olympics gold.
The 16-year-old had earlier lashed out at the Haryana government, saying someone in the government has been playing games with the prize money that was announced for the Youth Olympics medal winners from the state.
She also shared an old tweet of wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt on Haryana government’s announcement in which they had asked athletes to deposit one-third of their income to the state coffers in 2018.
Bhaker had won the Youth Olympics gold in the 10m air pistol event in Buenos Aires on October 10. The medal was a huge morale booster for the teenage shooter, who had missed medals in the 25m pistol and 10m air pistol events at the Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang. She had shot 236.5 in the eight-woman final to create history.
