Snubbed Sudha turns down UP

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Lucknow, Dec. 20: Upset over the treatment meted out to her at a sports event in Uttar Pradesh, Asiad gold medalist, Sudha Singh, has announced that she will not run for the state anymore.

“I will not run for UP ever again. After all, enough is enough. What is the point playing for a state where you are not even recognized by your own sports minister?” Sudha said.

Sudha, who clinched the gold in the women’s 3,000 metres event at the Guangzhou Asian Games recently, was invited as a guest at the women’s open cross-country racing that was flagged-off by the UP sports minister Ayodhya Pal at the Charbagh Stadium in Lucknow.

However, Sudha left the stadium in a huff after the organizers ignored her presence. The sports minister who was present at the event reportedly asked the organisers who Sudha Singh was and the athlete who heard this remark was miffed.

Sudha told reporters that she had received offers from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to run for them. “I would rather accept their offer than run for UP which, in any case, has treated me like dirt,” she said.

Sudha belongs to Rae Bareli, the constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Mrs Gandhi, during her recent visit, took time off to meet Sudha and honour her in the constituency.

Pic Caption:
Sudha Singh poses with her Asian Games gold medal in this file photo.