Somaya, Pawar bat for Chirag Shetty's equality call

Want Maharashtra government to make amends & announce reward to boost shuttler's morale before Paris Games
MUMBAI: Badminton player Chirag Shetty's comments regarding Maharashtra government ignoring his achievements while rewarding cricketers from the state for winning the T20 World Cup have stirred up a hornet's nest.
Chirag along with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy - the No.3 ranked men's doubles team in the world - played a crucial role in India winning their maiden Thomas Cup in 2022. Chirag, though, wasn't recognised for his effort. After seeing the cricketers being feted, the aggrieved shuttler told TOI on Sunday that "if the state government can honour World Cup-winning stars, they should also honour him and treat other sports equally".
Besides the Thomas Cup success, Chirag has also won doubles gold at Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and bronze at World Championships. The 27-year-old Malad resident has now found support from prominent sportspersons of the city, who urged the state government to resurrect the situation by rewarding Chirag. Uday Pawar, coach and mentor of Chirag, felt that his ward's achievement is on par with that of cricketers and he should have been rewarded for it.

Former India hockey captain MM Somaya said that he had sympathy for Chirag as "winning the Thomas Cup is a truly historic achievement". He went on to add that the state government can make amends by announcing a reward for him just before the Paris Olympics begin which will be good "for his morale as well".
Pawar, a former Asian Games medallist and a prominent badminton coach in the city, said: "I am not comparing sports but like the cricketers who have brought honour to Maharashtra, so has Chirag. I feel his achievement is on par (with the cricketers). A person who has brought honour to the state shouldn't be demanding but the state should recognise his efforts on its own."
He added that players shouldn't ask for recognition and instead the state government should have a mechanism in place where once they have achieved something of national significance, they should be rewarded.
"I think the state's sports ministry should be more active. They should do their own homework and should be aware of who the top players from Maharashtra are. If they don't know about his/her achievement, then the ministry is not functioning properly. They should have people who will keep in touch with the respective associations from state and take updates on how their players are performing," said Pawar.
Somaya said: "I would fully agree with Chirag and I would quite understand his position. Since he was the only player from Maharashtra, he deserves the recognition. Need not be such a huge amount that they have given to cricketers but in some manner, he should be rewarded. He is seeking recognition from the state government which I think is only natural and I think it will be fair even if the state govt does it now. He is one of the key players from Maharashtra to participate in the Olympics and has a good chance of winning a medal with Satwik."
He also urged the state government to have a "consistent policy" to reward the performers from other sports as well. "They should reward the players as soon as they know that someone from the state has achieved something big. It should be a standard process. A person shouldn't be applying for it. You should make a person feel a sense of pride when a state government recognises a player on their own," felt Somaya.