At a time when the Pro Kabaddi League is getting bigger and bigger, the central government and the state government of Uttar Pradesh do not seem to give much importance to the sport. Despite the inclusion of a team from Uttar Pradesh for the first time in the PKL, Indian kabaddi player Rahul Chaudhari has made allegations against the government for not providing the financial help that was promised.
After a long time, India won the Kabaddi World Cup and it is disheartening to see a gold medal winner facing the stigma of being ignored by the centre and state governments.
Rahul said, “When I helped India win the gold medal in the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016, the central government promised to provide financial assistance but the government did not stay true to the promise.”
Not just that, Rahul has not been given a government job as well so far. It is a stark contrast to the Haryana government who have honoured their player Ajay Thakur by making him the Deputy Superintendent of Police.
“The central government and the state government have not given me a job in any post. On the other hand, when the Indian cricket team returns home after winning the World Cup, they are showered with money,” Rahul said.
“When I returned home after winning the Kabaddi World Cup, not even a single politician or official from UP was there to welcome me whereas the ministers from other states gave their players a grand reception,” Rahul alleges.
Rahul opines that this is the reason why people don’t want to come into the sport as the government does not offer much help. If the players are not looked after properly, nobody would want to play the sport.
According to Rahul, he has not been provided any financial assistance by the government till date nor has he been commemorated in any way. After the World Cup, players from Haryana were awarded Rs. 5-6 lakhs and given jobs in the police department whereas Rahul was given just a meagre 40,000 rupees.
It is a sorry state of affairs for kabaddi players when a player like Rahul Chaudhari, who has also won the gold medal in South Asian Games last year, is treated in this manner.
