Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia will now be seen in the political ring. On Friday, both of them joined the Congress. Vinesh Phogat will contest the Haryana Assembly election from Julana in Jind. Bajrang Punia was appointed the working chairman of All India Kisan Congress. Indications of joining Congress party were clear when both of them met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Both quit their jobs in Northern Railways hours before joining the Congress. Vinesh Phogat said it was the Congress which stood by the female wrestlers when they were fighting for their dignity.
She alleged, it was the BJP which orchestrated efforts to defame the wrestlers. Vinesh said, her fight against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and his cohorts in Wrestling Federation, for the honour of daughters will continue.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, while speaking in Gonda, UP, said, he has been proved right and the entire nation now knows who was behind the Jantar Mantar wrestlers' protest. Haryana BJP leader Anil Vij said, he always respected Vinesh for being a 'champion daughter', but now that she has opted to become "Congress' daughter", it is now clear Congress was behind the wrestlers' protest. In reply, Bajrang Punia said, the wrestlers during their Jantar Mantar protest, had written letters to all women MPs of BJP seeking their support, but BJP, instead of extending support, defamed them.
I think, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has no right to speak about Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia. It was because of his questionable behaviour and threats that the wrestlers had to hit the streets to stage protest. Even after Brij Bhushan's removal, the attitude of Wrestling Federation office-bearers has not changed. The wrestlers even went to court, but Brij Bhushan got them in a legal tangle. Ultimately, the wrestlers had to enter the political arena. I think, for the wrestlers, entering the political ring is less of a choice and more of a compulsion, because a heavyweight politician like Brij Bhushan did not leave them with any other options.
Both Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat brought laurels to the nation in the field of wrestling, they won medals and their decision to join politics must be respected. The courage displayed by Vinesh in fighting for the honour of daughters, the manner in which she rose from the streets and reached the semi-finals at Paris Olympics, has made her a youth icon. If Vinesh wants to fulfill her political ambitions by contesting elections, it is her right. At least those leaders should keep their mouth shut, who had to lose their Lok Sabha tickets because of the female wrestlers' protest.
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