Manika Batra threatens legal action, seeks answers for Asian Games snub

Manika Batra

NEW DELHI: India paddler Manika Batra has warned the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) of legal action if she is not provided with a “factual explanation” for what she alleges to be an arbitrary decision to exclude her from India’s squad for the upcoming Asian Games.The two-time Olympian expressed her intentions on Wednesday, saying that she is not seeking selection through special consideration but demands transparency over the procedure that caused her omission.

Reasserting her appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, she urged them to intervene. According to her, there has to be "transparency, consistency, and accountability in the selection process".After failing to meet the TTFI’s selection standards, which required participation in national-level events, the paddler was excluded from the Asian Games squad.Stating that she may move to court if her concerns are not addressed, Manika added, “I sincerely hope that a clear and factual explanation is provided. However, if I do not receive satisfactory answers regarding the basis of this decision, I will be left with no option but to explore all remedies available to me, including legal recourse through my legal team."Manika denied speculations around her intentions of seeking preferential treatment.

“Over the last few days, I have seen many people say that I am seeking a place in the Asian Games team or that I am asking for special consideration. Let me state this clearly. I am not asking to be selected. I am not asking anyone to overturn the decision. I am asking for answers," she asserted in her latest statement.“That is why I have requested the Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Hon’ble Sports Minister to look into this matter. Not because I want a place in the team. Not because I want special treatment.”