Olympian Arjun babuta, who finished 4th at the ongoing Paris Olympics in men’s 10m Air Rifle event has revealed AAP government’s apathy towards Punjab’s leading sportspersons. In the men’s 10m Air Rifle event, Babuta narrowly missed the Bronze medal and ended up in 4th place on the grandest stage of them all.
Arjun Babuta shared that he hasn’t received any benefit from the Punjab government despite all the success that he has achieved in his career.
#WATCH | Mohali, Punjab: Shooter Arjun Babuta, who finished fourth in Men’s 10M Air Rifle final in #ParisOlympics2024 says, "…I have not received any benefit from the state government. In 2022, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and then Sports Minister of Punjab Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer… pic.twitter.com/HdUxMXreV2
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2024
After the conclusion of his event, Arjun Babuta returned to India from Paris with bronze medalist Sarabjot Singh and other athletes. The 25-year-old shooter shared his frustration over the lack of backing from the Punjab administration after returning home. Babuta said that he should get a job rank commensurate with his sporting achievements, and hopes that the current Aam Aadmi Party government and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will heed his demands, unlike their Congress predecessors.
Arjun Babuta said, “I have not received any benefit from the state government. In 2022, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and then Sports Minister of Punjab Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer promised to offer me a government job. I have also written a letter in this regard also but in reply, I was told to wait…It is very disappointing and I hope they will look into it as job security is very important.”
He further said, “I demanded the same from the previous Congress government in Punjab. Governments are changing but the demand remains the same…The hope is slowly fading away.”
Mentioning how athletes from other states are treated differently by their respective Chief Ministers, Babuta said, “The Chief Ministers of different states cheered and met the shooters from their respective states who participated in the Olympics. But nothing was done by the Punjab CM and Punjab Sports Minister for the shooters from Punjab…They didn’t even welcome us at the airport. If they blame for the decline of sports in Punjab, the ministers of Punjab have a big role in it.”
