Olympian Anju Bobby George is furious.
The star long jumper alleges that Kerala's new sports minister E P Jayarajan accused her of being corrupt and said she belongs to the United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition, which was in power in Kerala until last month.
"We are not acting for any political party. Sports is our party. I am not a member of Congress, Communist (Party) or BJP," said Bobby George who made history after she won a medal in the World Championships in Athletics in 2003.
Bobby George said she has complained to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Jayarajan, however, has denied the charges and said the athlete had parted "very happily" after meeting him and that he had not been rude, "never."
This is the minister's second controversy of the week. Last week, he became the butt of jokes for telling a TV channel that legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali - who died last week - "was a great sportsperson from Kerala."
Bobby George is President of the Kerala Sports Council, an appointment that was made by the earlier UDF government in the state.
On June 7, she went to meet the new Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's sports minister in her capacity as president of the sports council. That was when he accused her of corruption and of being a UDF stooge.
"We thought he will ask us about the status of sports in Kerala. In the first meeting itself, the minister said 'you all are elected members by the previous ministry. So you all are other party members... All transfers and appointments you are doing are illegal'," the star athlete told PTI.
She said the minister also objected to the fact that she flew from Bengaluru, where she is based, to Thiruvananthapuram for attending Council meetings, even though she was allowed to by the previous dispensation.
"This is all against rules. I can stop all this," Bobby George said the minister told her."The minister said 'this is all corruption'."
Indian Hockey captain P R Sreejesh and Kerala Cricket Association President, T C Mathew, are other members of the Council. Jayarajan accused them of the same things.
"The minister said that all of us are involved in corruption. We are doing our duty. If the government is not ready to accept that, they can ask us to leave. But instead, calling all of us as corrupt was not acceptable," she said.
When asked if she planned to quit her post, Bobby George said she had not taken a decision yet.
"We are sportspersons. I have a duty to inform the Chief Minister about the minister's behaviour," she said.
On Saturday Jayarajan displayed his knowledge of sports - or its lack thereof - by saying Ali was from Kerala.
"I just heard that Muhammad Ali breathed his last in America. He was a great sportsperson from Kerala. He flagged the fame of Kerala sky-high by winning a gold medal," he told a Malayalam TV news channel.
The star long jumper alleges that Kerala's new sports minister E P Jayarajan accused her of being corrupt and said she belongs to the United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition, which was in power in Kerala until last month.
"We are not acting for any political party. Sports is our party. I am not a member of Congress, Communist (Party) or BJP," said Bobby George who made history after she won a medal in the World Championships in Athletics in 2003.
Bobby George said she has complained to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Jayarajan, however, has denied the charges and said the athlete had parted "very happily" after meeting him and that he had not been rude, "never."
This is the minister's second controversy of the week. Last week, he became the butt of jokes for telling a TV channel that legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali - who died last week - "was a great sportsperson from Kerala."
Bobby George is President of the Kerala Sports Council, an appointment that was made by the earlier UDF government in the state.
On June 7, she went to meet the new Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's sports minister in her capacity as president of the sports council. That was when he accused her of corruption and of being a UDF stooge.
"We thought he will ask us about the status of sports in Kerala. In the first meeting itself, the minister said 'you all are elected members by the previous ministry. So you all are other party members... All transfers and appointments you are doing are illegal'," the star athlete told PTI.
She said the minister also objected to the fact that she flew from Bengaluru, where she is based, to Thiruvananthapuram for attending Council meetings, even though she was allowed to by the previous dispensation.
"This is all against rules. I can stop all this," Bobby George said the minister told her."The minister said 'this is all corruption'."
Indian Hockey captain P R Sreejesh and Kerala Cricket Association President, T C Mathew, are other members of the Council. Jayarajan accused them of the same things.
"The minister said that all of us are involved in corruption. We are doing our duty. If the government is not ready to accept that, they can ask us to leave. But instead, calling all of us as corrupt was not acceptable," she said.
When asked if she planned to quit her post, Bobby George said she had not taken a decision yet.
"We are sportspersons. I have a duty to inform the Chief Minister about the minister's behaviour," she said.
On Saturday Jayarajan displayed his knowledge of sports - or its lack thereof - by saying Ali was from Kerala.
"I just heard that Muhammad Ali breathed his last in America. He was a great sportsperson from Kerala. He flagged the fame of Kerala sky-high by winning a gold medal," he told a Malayalam TV news channel.