Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 3

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr M.S.Gill said here today that “Indian hockey without Punjab was inconceivable,” and Hockey Punjab president Sukhbir Singh Badal would be meeting him tomorrow to discuss the State’s affiliation with Hockey India. Dr Gill told The Tribune that the Government take on the Hockey India election was simple: It has to be fair and square. He said Jharkhand, like Punjab, was the other half of Indian hockey, producing a number of national and international players.

He said the Sports Ministry had appointed a senior Election Commission official Mendritta to supervise the hockey election in a fair, transparent and truthful manner. Government observers Ajitpal Singh and Zafar Iqbal were also expected to play it fare, for the larger good of Indian hockey.

“They can hold the Hockey India election through secret manner, but it should be representative of the whole of India, so that the very best committee is elected to run the game in the country”. Dr Gill said when he met International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Leandro Negre some months ago, he had made it very clear that India should have a unified hockey body in place before the World Cup in February-March.

Subsequently an ad hoc body was formed by the Indian Olympic Association to run the game, but it was not a representative body, and Negre asserted that a properly elected Hockey India should be in place before the World Cup.

“Otherwise, the FIH will not allow the holding of the World Cup in Delhi”, Dr Gill explained. He said his experience of over six years as the Chief Election Commissioner of the country had taught him that a proper electoral roll was a mandatory requirement to hold a fair and transparent election. “Otherwise, the election process is irrelevant”, he added. “The new hockey body should give hope for the game in the country”, noted the Minister.

Lalit Bhanot, who is in the affiliation committee of Hockey India, said Pargat Singh had been called for a meeting tomorrow to discuss Hockey Punjab’s affiliation with Hockey India tomorrow.