Pargat harasses Star players, it should stop

Padamshree Pargat Singh harasses current star players, it should stop

See who is harassing current Indian hockey stars? The five top players who skipped just two days of training to attend a press conference – for which they earned some perks — are constantly being harassed, not by any brute Indian hockey administrators whom all familiar with, but a self-declared protector of them, Pargat Singh, the most indisciplined player I ever saw in my life-time of intense hockey journalism.

Players on their own missed just two days of training. After they returned, despite being allowed to stay in their facilities by the Government (Sports Authority of India), Pargat’s trustee Sukbir Singh Grewal — who was first called Director Coaching, then it was converted into Deputy Coach, and now a new avtar as camp-Coordinator, did not allow them to practice for full five days before he had to mend his ways.

I really at loss to understand how a single person on one day is Selector of Coaches, next day Deputy Coach to someone who himself was part of selecting his master, and then another day camp co-ordinator, a job normally assigned to SAI coach or official till day. Sukhbir now does the job of a manager!! It boils down to this. If you are friend of Pargat Singh, it seems, you can assume as many roles (faces) as you can.

Till recently we saw an assistant coach calling the nation’s chief coach as Foreign coach, and branding himself with uncalled for arrogance as National Chief Coach, creating a false impression among the public that he is more national than anybody else and that the foreign coach is near ‘anti-national. Thus, he bought his own burial in the next few months time.

Why the former players, who get some say, feel omni-powerful mystifies me.

If Arjun Halappa and co opted to stay away for two days, who is more guilty, those who missed two days on their own choice or those who did not allow them to practice for five days to please their new-found masters?

Not only that. While Narinder Batra seemed to be striking a balance, this gentleman Pargat Singh who craved for power for so many years and went hammer and tongs against Suresh Kalmadi and Batra not long ago, now plays a perfect villain role for players, and heroic one to his new masters.

See the seething anger with which this gentleman, Pargat Singh, functions. Within two days of these five players attending the WSH press meet in Mumbai, he submits his so-called report to take action against these players.

Same week the players get the show cause notice. It is on his suggestion and which is totally engineered by him. Everything on war footing.

Then came the great news that Pargat Singh, who is paradoxically the Chairman of Disciplinary Committee, will meet the players in Bangalore where the camp was going on.

We thought he is going to counsel wisdom, and also felt current players deserves such self-respect.

Now the players got five-day break from camp, and it is the time for them to rest and recoup. But this gentleman asks them to come Delhi! Is it below his dignity to go and meet thee players at camp? Is it his bloated ego they should come and meet him at his place and appointed time? Your conjecture is as good as mine.

Now, as some players confided, Pargat is forcing them to spend monies on replying to showcause notices, wasting their time on avoidable travels, and try to run their energies out so that these five players could not be selected for the next international events. their grouse seem to be correct. Facts being as such, I come to my conclusion. I have never seen such a degree of vengeance emanating from any former hockey players!!

Pargat Singh not long ago called Suresh Kalmadi of running a mafia. He accused him of not granting membership to his dubiously formed Punjab Hockey. Now that he same Kalmadi has given him some alms before going to prison, some call it Development Committee Chairman, this gentleman stopped speaking against Kalmadi. This is the story of President of the Clean Sports India (CSI). If this is the face of clean sports, Mr. BV Rao, please don’t disgrace your great organization by still keeping him at its helm. I am a paid member of CSI, I have every right to raise my voice.

I feel, Pargat Singh seemed to have learnt the art of creating mafia – of his own – from the man whom he accused of doing exactly the same.

I strongly feel that Pargat is out of sync with reality. He doesn’t understand the aspirations of present generation of players. He could not offer any facilities to players, or match fee, or anything that we can say it is an indicator or stamp of former player administrating a sport. But what we see is undue hurry with which a section of players are put under the altar of ego, harassing them to drain out and other such silly-minded actions. No fresh air or new thinking or new vistas have taken place with Pargat having big say in the policy making body.

He should at least know well that such mammoth exercise as World Series Hockey cannot be undermined this way. Even the all powerful FIH could do nothing of that sort till now. Pargat Singh, by action, perhaps thinks he can undermine the people-supported WSH by just stripping five stars of their rightful place in the Indian team. Time will prove who is wrong.

I strongly feel there is no need for any player to beg (to borrow the words of Dhanraj Pillay)persons like Pargat Singh to be in the Indian National team. Its nations duty to select the best team, if someone doesn’t want this way, let hockey go to hell. If not already.