Control the number, cut the lobbying, says Arjuna No.1

Randhawa feels that what needs to be done is that ‘‘unambiguous rules should be put in place. Criteria should be defined. Announcements don’t need to be done beforehand. Just present them to the ones who have been chosen. These things have spoilt the worth of Indian sports as a whole.’’

‘‘In our time, we used to feel honoured to win the Arjuna award. There was no monetary benefit in those days. We earned it for our hard work and our chests would swell with pride.’’

The fact that this year’s Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award went jointly to shooter Anjali Bhagwat and runner K Beenamol hasn’t gone down well with him either. Especially because Beenamol was originally named the recipient, and Bhagwat, as has been widely reported, lobbied till her name was included. ‘‘No one is supposed to lobby for the awards anyway,’’ Randhawa says. ‘‘In my opinion, Anjali deserved it more than Beenamol if it had to be between the two of them. She has done better at the world level, whereas Beenamol’s greatest achievements have been at the Asian level. But even then, if one person has been selected, that should be accepted. And more than one Khel Ratna award shouldn’t be given.’’