Vinesh Phogat joins Congress ahead of Haryana polls

Vinesh Phogat, a prominent wrestler, officially joined the Congress party on Friday, expressing pride in joining a party that “supports women.” Phogat, alongside fellow wrestler Bajrang Punia, was welcomed into Congress by party leader KC Venugopal, just ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections.

Phogat, who had been vocal during last year’s protests against ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh, fiercely criticized the BJP. She highlighted how other political parties, except the BJP, supported the wrestlers when they were “dragged on the roads” during the protests. Phogat stated, “When we were being dragged on the roads, every party except the BJP was with us. Other parties were able to understand our pain and our tears.”

The wrestler accused the BJP of spreading falsehoods during the protests, including claims that their careers were over and that they were uninterested in competing at national and international levels. “They said our career was over, that we didn’t want to play nationals. But I played nationals, played Olympics too,” Phogat pointed out.

Both Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia were central figures in the protest against Brij Bhushan, then BJP MP and WFI chief, who was accused of harassing junior wrestlers. The protest gained national attention and was criticized by some BJP leaders as being politically motivated, especially after Rahul Gandhi met with the wrestlers.

Bajrang Punia, who joined Congress alongside Phogat, also condemned the BJP’s stance, stating that the wrestlers had reached out to women MPs from the party during the protests, but they received no support. “Congress stood with us. BJP stood by the injustice done to the daughters, but other parties were with us,” Punia said.

He further alleged that the BJP’s IT Cell celebrated Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024, describing the incident as “unfortunate.”

Phogat expressed her pride in joining Congress, calling it a “party that supports women” and fights against injustice. “I am proud to have joined a party that stands with women and is against injustice towards women,” she said. Phogat thanked Congress for their support, emphasizing that difficult times reveal true allies. “Bure time me pata lagta hai apna kaun hai (Tough times show you who is your own). I stand with every woman who finds herself helpless,” Phogat stated.

She also spoke about her disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024 due to being 100 grams overweight, noting, “God possibly had a different plan.”

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