Controversy has erupted over sportspersons seeking cash incentives from the Rajasthan State Sports Council being made to sign an affidavit stating that they have no association with 'communal' organisations like RSS and Jamait-e Islamic.

Members of ABVP, youth wing of BJP, yesterday protested at an awards function organised by the RSSC against the sports persons being made to give the affidavits.

The protestors shouted slogans and had a scuffle with police who tried to stop from entering the stadium. "RSS is not a terrorist organisation, but is devoted to the service of the nation. Had the affidavit been restricted to communal organisation, it would have been ok, but associating it with RSS is a wrong move which will not be digested.

We demand immediate withdrawal of it," Kailash Nath

Bhatt, BJP spokesman for state, said. The RSSC and the sports department are blaming each other over the issue. The RSSC claims that it has followed long standing orders from the sports department since 1986, while sports department maintains that it is the RSSC which decides

the norms.

"The norms are continuing since 1986 and we are towing with it. We have not introduced it," state sports minister Mangilal Garasia said. Countering this, former sports minister Younis Khan said the order was withdrawn by the BJP government during his tenure.

PCC chief Chandrabhan said, "Players should be judged on sports merit alone". Another leader of BJP, Satish Poonia, said it was wrong to create a divide among sportsmen on the basis of religion. "We would not tolerate it. It is against the constitutional rights. The government is trying to divide the sportsmen which is not fair," he said.

The RSSC distributed more than Rs 2 crore to sports persons who had achieved success in various sports at national as well as international level. Athlete Ghamanda Ram was the recipient of the biggest amount of Rs 3.5 lakh.

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