SHILLONG, Nov 23: Sports and Youth Affairs Minister, Banteidor Lyngdoh has said that the demand of the Khasi Students’ Union for tribal athletes was only to see that the local youth with potential are not denied the opportunity to represent the state in national-level sporting events.
“I fully understand the sentiments of the KSU. I have personally tried to find out what is the root cause. I am happy that the KSU has reassured that they are not against any non-locals who are born and brought up to represent the state in any sports disciplines,” Lyngdoh told The Shillong Times here on Tuesday.
He also said that the statement made by the KSU was primarily directed at the Meghalaya Cricket Association (MCA) as there are many players from other states who are representing Meghalaya in the Ranji Trophy.
“How can there be four to five players from other states playing for Meghalaya in the Ranji trophy. This is one way of denying the local players who have the potential to play for the state Ranji team,” the minister said.
He also questioned why the Association should bring players from outside the state.
According to him, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) is pumping huge funds for development of cricket in the North East including Meghalaya. “We know that there is a lot of money in cricket. We have youths who are talented cricketers and they only need proper coaching and guidance,” Lyngdoh said.
Asserting that the non-locals who are brought up in the state should get an opportunity if they are talented, he also stressed that the team selection to represent the state should primarily be based on merit. “But we will have to give special preference to the local youth if they are talented,” he said.
He also said that he is totally against anyone getting selected to the state team only because of his connections with some influential people.
“I strongly feel there should be no politics in sports. We cannot look at our relations while selecting a team,” Lyngdoh said.
The minister also said that he would facilitate a discussion between the KSU and MCA to clear the air on various issues.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Football Association (MFA) president, Larsing M Sawyan said that if the KSU has intentions of making the development of sports in the state an important objective of the Union, they should concentrate on making efforts towards helping out in the development of comprehensive grassroots development programme for all sports.
“The key to development of sports is in early grassroots intervention not reservation. What is important is to provide a platform to our aspiring sportspersons not a false sense of entitlement. Reservation does not breed champions. Mental strength is an equally important aspect of sports as much as physical development and technique,” the MFA president said.
Stating that while it is important to ensure that special focus is given to local athletes and sportspersons, he said that it is equally important that every Indian citizen of the state is also provided an opportunity to participate and pursue his or her dreams in an equal manner.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Athletics Association (MAA) general secretary, Finely Pariat said that there cannot be a blanket ban on talented non-locals who are originally from here to represent Meghalaya in any national sports events.
“We cannot promote local youth who are not talented. The case of selection in the state team should be based on merit. We cannot expect to have a quota on everything, especially in sports,” Pariat said.
The MAA general secretary said that the sports associations should give first preference to the local youth if they are talented.
According to him, the various sports associations need to work harder and to be more competitive.
“But I see that the statement made by the KSU is some kind of a wake-up call to help the local youth realise that they will have to compete to earn a place in the state,” he said.
He however clarified that he understands that the KSU wants the talented local youth to excel and do well even in sports. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with the stand of the KSU,” the MAA general secretary said.
Meanwhile, Pariat said that he used to get calls from athletes of other states like Haryana, Kerala, Rajasthan and even Assam who wanted to represent Meghalaya in senior national athletics events.
He said that these players could not make it into the team of their respective states due to lesser ranking.
According to him, the state does not have players to send for the senior nationals.
“But I feel the state would not benefit if players from other states win medals for us. It would always be a proud feeling if our own players do well in any national and international tournaments,” the MAA official said.
It may be mentioned that the KSU had urged various sports associations to ensure that local players get a chance to represent the state in any national sporting event held outside the state.
ADE supports KSU demand
The Association of Democratic Empowerment (ADE) from Garo Hills on Tuesday lent support to the demand of the KSU for cent percent reservation for Khasi and Garo athletes in all sports teams representing Meghalaya.
“As mentioned by KSU, we can clearly see that the men’s under-25 Meghalaya Cricket team currently taking part in the national tournament has one Khasi and two Garo players. All other players are non-tribal people. Local players from the ethnic tribes are evidently outnumbered. This is frustrating for the future of upcoming athletes of our region,” ADE president Dalseng Bira Ch Momin said.
Momin pointed out that local athletes are deprived of exposure to outside world of sports due to scant participation and cautioned that if this continues in the same manner it would lead to total obliteration of participation of our sportspersons in the near future as our future generation will never feel safe to involve themselves into sports.
“It may at first seem to be discriminatory approach towards others. But to encourage our own kids in the near future, to prepare them, to groom them in a professional manner for future events, we have to take whatever measures required for the sake of the next generation,” Momin added.