Chandigarh, September 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Haryana Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday congratulated the state’s medal-winning athletes who secured appointments to state civil and police services, while accusing the BJP government of denying them their rightful positions and entitlements.
Hooda said the athletes had been forced to fight an eight-year-long legal battle to secure their appointments. The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently directed their appointment to Haryana Civil Service (HCS) and Haryana Police Service (HPS) posts and imposed a Rs 50,000 fine on the state government, he said.
“The BJP government made every possible effort to deny them their positions, dignity, and entitlements. However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s verdict, ordering their appointment to HCS and HPS, has dealt a stinging rebuke to the BJP government. Furthermore, the court has imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the government,” Hooda said in a statement.
He claimed the episode reflected what he described as the BJP government’s “anti-sports and anti-athlete mindset”.
Hooda also accused the state government of being hostile towards employees, contractual workers and unemployed youth, alleging that it had failed to implement regularisation policies and fulfil commitments made to various categories of workers.
“This government harbours hostility towards Haryana’s employees, contractual staff, and unemployed youth struggling for jobs,” he said.
Hooda alleged that despite court rulings from the High Court to the Supreme Court upholding the regularisation policy formulated during the Congress government’s tenure, the BJP administration had not regularised protesting sanitation workers and guest teachers.
He further alleged that the government had failed to honour commitments made to employees of the state’s skill development corporation, Kaushal Nigam.
“The BJP government has hardly managed to complete any recruitment process without facing stern court directives,” he said.
Recalling the Congress government’s tenure, Hooda said the ‘Padak Lao, Pad Pao’ (win a medal, get a post) policy had been introduced to encourage athletes and promote sports in Haryana.
Under the policy, medal-winning sportspersons were eligible for prestigious Class I and Class II positions, along with provisions for direct appointments as Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), he said.
Hooda claimed the policy had produced significant results, with Haryana athletes achieving success at national and international competitions and bringing recognition to the state and the country.
He said athletes from Haryana had excelled across several sporting disciplines and alleged that the BJP government subsequently changed the rules governing appointments to senior posts such as DSP.
“This policy yielded tremendous results in Haryana, with our athletes bringing glory to the nation on the global stage. Athletes from Haryana outperformed those from other states in almost every discipline. However, the BJP could not tolerate this and altered the rules governing the appointment of athletes to high-ranking posts like DSP,” Hooda alleged.
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