Games should not be seen from political lens: Gehlot over Rural Olympics row

In an attempt to put an end to the row over naming the Rural Olympics after Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said the games should not be politicised.

In an attempt to put an end to the row over naming the Rural Olympics after Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said the games should not be politicised. He also called upon different political parties to get associated with the games, irrespective of their ideologies. He said that the games should not be seen from a political point of view. ''We want to organise the games with the spirit of games. Games are not a matter of politics,'' Gehlot said told reporters during a function where he unveiled the game's mascot 'Sheru' and released its theme song.

A row erupted between BJP and Congress party on Sunday after the chief minister in his tweet mentioned the upcoming games as the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic games, resulting in both the parties taking shots at each other. He said that from August 29, Rural Olympic Games are going to be organised in the state. A budget provision of Rs 40 crore has been made for this.

The main objective of the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympics is to discover and bring forward rural sportspersons, hone their talents, encourage them and promote sportsmanship among the general public, Gehlot said. Along with youth, elders and women have also registered to participate in sports on a large scale. The atmosphere that is being created for sports in Rajasthan today is unbelievable, he said. Gehlot said Rural Olympics is open to all age groups. About 30 lakh players are participating in these games and 2 lakh teams have been formed. He said if the talented players of the state are discovered and given proper training, then they can bring laurels to the country and the state at the national and international levels. The chief minister said sports grounds have been prepared by the state government at the Gram Panchayat level for sports. All kinds of facilities are being made available to the players and a new sports culture is being created in the state. The local public representatives along with the general public should enthusiastically play their part in the successful organisation of the games, he exhorted.