Hockey Players to go on Hunger Strike

It's cash raining on the cricket players after the famous Twenty20 World Cup victory. They are being overloaded with praise, admiration, gifts and money. But look, who are not amused? It's the hockey players who recently brought glory to the country by winning the Asia Cup Hockey tournament in presence of teams like Pakistan, South Korea and Malaysia. Irked by the "step-motherly treatment" meted out to the Indian hockey players by the central and four state governments, the team members have decided to go on a 'hunger strike'.

Chief Coach Joaquim Carvalho, Coach Ramesh Parameswaran, manager R K Shetty and four players (Vikram Kanth, V R Rahunath, S V Sunil and Ignace Tirkey) will go on a hunger strike outside the residence of the Karnataka Chief Minister. While the Karnataka CM announced Rs 5 lakh cash award for two state players, he did not even personally congratulated the hockey players from the state on their remarkable performance in the Asia Cup.

Carvalho pooh-poohed Civil Aviation Minister Prafull Patel (NCP)'s decision to give cash awards and out-of-turn promotion to cricketers in Air India and Indian Airlines. He wondered whether the Minister knew that these organisations also has hockey players on their pay rolls. He further charged that these politicians want to cash on the popularity of cricket and cricketers. It was evident when they almost turned the felicitation ceremony at Wankhede Stadium to a political circus.