On Saturday, Punjab's Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann sharply countered his Haryana counterpart, Nayab Singh Saini, regarding the recent death of a young basketball player in Rohtak. Despite accusations of politicizing the tragedy, Mann stated that he will continue to meet with grieving families. In response to Saini's comments, Mann remarked, "We are in politics; what else should we do? Should we start seeing bodies emerging from Haryana's sports fields? If sharing the pain of a young athlete's family is considered politics, then we will keep engaging in it."

Mann visited the family of Hardik Rathi, the basketball player who reportedly died due to inadequate sports facilities. He emphasized that the incident in Rohtak is not an isolated case, pointing out ongoing concerns about sports facilities in Haryana, referencing similar issues in Bahadurgarh. Previously, Haryana's Chief Minister Saini criticized Mann's visit, advising him to focus on Punjab's drug problem instead of interfering in Haryana's affairs.

When questioned about the SIR issue, Mann stated that if any political party has objections, it should address them to the Election Commission. He questioned why people should respond when allegations of EVM hacking arise, suggesting that the Commission should proactively prove that EVMs have not been compromised. Targeting the BJP, Mann asked, "If the BJP is so confident about the Modi wave, why don’t they assert that elections can be conducted in any manner?"