India’s renowned wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia have formally joined Congress ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, scheduled for October 5.
Vinesh and Bajrang joined Congress after a meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at 10 Rajaji Marg in New Delhi on Friday.
After they met Leader of the Opposition, Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, there were speculations that the duo would join Congress and contest the upcoming elections.
However, there are no confirmations about their candidature in the assembly elections yet.
Welcoming the duo at a press conference, Udya Bhan, the Haryana Congress president, said, “Today, we have the honour of welcoming India’s prides, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, to our party. Both have performed exceptionally well in the Olympics, bringing glory to the nation.”
“Recently, Vinesh, our beloved daughter, defeated the world’s best wrestler (Yui Susaki) in France, winning the hearts of every Indian. She is truly the pride of Haryana, and it’s a matter of great pride for us that she hails from our state. Today, as she transitions from the wrestling akhada to the political arena, we are thrilled to have her with us. We warmly welcome her to our party,” Bhan added.
चक दे इंडिया, चक दे हरियाणा!
दुनिया में भारत का नाम रौशन करने वाले हमारे प्रतिभाशाली चैंपियन विनेश फोगाट और बजरंग पुनिया से 10 राजाजी मार्ग पर मुलाक़ात।
हमें आप दोनों पर गर्व है। pic.twitter.com/aFRwfFeeo1
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) September 6, 2024
‘Fight is not over yet’
“Our fight is not over. This is a new chapter in my life. I will work for other athletes so that they don’t have to go through what we went through,” Vinesh said, referring to their demand for justice for wrestlers who allegedly became victims of sexual exploitation.
“The case is now in court, and we will win. Just as I fought with all my strength on the mat to represent our nation, I will work tirelessly for the people of this country. I will be among the people, always. To my sisters, I want to say that your sister is with you. Whenever you face a problem and there is no one to help, know that Congress party and I will be there for you,” added the 30-year-old.
With Vinesh, who has been in the news since she was disqualified from the Paris Olympics for weighing 100 grams more in her 50kg category before the gold medal bout, resigning from his job in the Indian Railways, there is an indication that she would contest from either Julana or Charkhi Dadri.
“Keeping in view of my family circumstances/personal reasons, I am unable to perform my duties as OSD/Sports. Therefore, without any pressure, I wish to tender my resignation. It is kindly requested that my resignation with immediate effect be accepted by Northern Railway. One month’s salary will be deposited in lieu of one month’s notice period,” Vinesh wrote in her resignation letter.
भारतीय रेलवे की सेवा मेरे जीवन का एक यादगार और गौरवपूर्ण समय रहा है।
जीवन के इस मोड़ पर मैंने स्वयं को रेलवे सेवा से पृथक करने का निर्णय लेते हुए अपना त्यागपत्र भारतीय रेलवे के सक्षम अधिकारियों को सौप दिया है। राष्ट्र की सेवा में रेलवे द्वारा मुझे दिये गये इस अवसर के लिए मैं… pic.twitter.com/HasXLH5vBP
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) September 6, 2024
Bajrang is the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, while Vinesh, the Asian Games gold medallist, is the first Indian woman to reach the wrestling final at the Olympics.
“What BJP IT Cell is saying today is that we just wanted to do politics…We had written to all women BJP MPs to stand with us but they still didn’t come. We are paying to raise the voices of women but now we know that BJP stands with atrocities against women, and all other parties stand with us. We will work hard to strengthen the Congress party and the nation…The day Vinesh qualified for the final the country was happy but the next day everyone was sad. At that time, one IT Cell was celebrating,” alleged Bajrang.
The Vinesh and Bajrang became famous anti-BJP faces in 2023 when they led a wrestlers’ protest against former BJP MP and then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, alleging sexual misconduct and exploitation.
Vinesh recently met farmers at Shambhu on the Haryana-Punjab border, where the farmers have been protesting and demanding a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops since 2020.
Raising her voice for farmers, Vinesh said the Centre should respect and accept farmers’ demands.