Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Saturday that “for reasons best known to the Centre” he has been denied clearance to attend a hockey match involving the Indian team at the Paris Olympic Games.
During a telephonic conversation with the captain of the Indian team, Harmanpreet Singh, the Chief Minister said that he wanted to go to Paris and cheer for the team live, but the Union government did not give him “political clearance”, said a statement released by his office. Mr. Mann said he wanted to be with the Indian team during the match but would have to now see them on TV. He extended best wishes to the team for the quarterfinal match, the statement added.
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Mr. Mann, who holds a diplomatic passport, was scheduled to visit Paris from August 3 to August 9 for the Indian hockey team’s quarterfinal clash on August 4.
The Chief Minister said that even if he was denied permission, Punjab and the entire country will be with the “hockey heroes” during the match.
In a separate development, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said the Union government was preventing Speakers from non-BJP States, including Punjab, from participating in the National Legislature Conference being held in the U.S. He accused the BJP of playing “petty politics”.
“It is extremely dangerous for the federal structure of the nation apart from creating hindrances in welfare and progress of States and the country. The conference was an opportunity for over 3,000 legislators to come together and share their vision, but the Union government’s move has deprived the Speakers of non-BJP ruled States to get the chance,” he said in a statement.
Mr. Sandhwan said the Speakers from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala were not given permission to visit the U.S. “The Union government is doing these things deliberately as BJP does not want to strengthen the federal fabric of the nation,” he said.
