Khel Ratna controversy: Share award between Krishna Poonia and Ronjan Sodhi, says Sushil Kumar
Sports ministry's decision to recommend Olympian shooter Ronjan Sodhi for the Khel Ratna award this year has angered discus thrower Krishna Poonia and Paralympian HN Girisha. Both Poonia and Girisha feel they deserve India's highest sporting honour.
The controversy around the sports ministry's recommendation to award this year's Khel Ratna to shooter Ronjan Sodhi is get more intense. Two-time Olympian medallist and wrestling star Sushil Kumar feels international discus thrower Krishna Poonia was a deserving candidate and should not have been ignored.
According to media reports, Sushil feels the government should share the Khel Ratna between Poonia and Sodhi this year. Khel Ratna is the highest sporting honour of India. Kumar said: "The government should jointly confer the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award to two of our best athletes, Poonia and Sodhi. Both deserve the highest honour and both are best in their respective fields." (Watch: I have been denied an award again, says HN Girisha)
Poonia met sports minister Jitendra Singh in Delhi on Wednesday to voice her frustration at being denied the Khel Ratna. The meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and Poonia said the minister gave her a patient hearing.
"The minister said he will seek the file from the concerned official on Friday and will look into the matter. He said if any wrong has been done (during the selection panel meeting), he will look into it and rectify it," Poonia said.
Poonia informed when she brought up the matter of sharing the Khel Ratna with trap shooter Sodhi, the minister assured her of looking into the matter.
The recommendation of Sodhi for the Khel Ratna Award on Tuesday sparked off a controversy with some members of the selection panel raising questions about the process of his selection. (Ronjan Sodhi's Khel Ratna: What happened behind the scenes)
It was learnt that Sodhi's name was not there when the majority of members decided to vote for the Khel Ratna awardee but brought back later for consideration.
A selection panel member said that Poonia and London Paralympics silver medallist HN Girisha were shortlisted for voting by 11 out of 12 selection panel members and Sodhi's name was not considered initially.