Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined Congress on Friday. Before joining the Congress, both the wrestlers also reached the residence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge to meet him. After the meeting, Kharge shared the pictures and wrote that we are proud of both of you. If sources of news agency ANI are to be believed, Vinesh Phogat will contest the Haryana assembly elections on a Congress ticket. At the same time, Bajrang Punia will not contest the assembly elections and he can be appointed as the co-chairman of the campaign committee of Haryana Congress for the Haryana assembly elections.
After joining Congress, Vinesh Phogat said, “First of all, I want to thank all the countrymen. In bad times, we come to know who is our own. When we were being dragged on the road, all the parties except BJP were with us. I am in a party that stands against the bad behavior against women. It is ready to fight from the road to the Parliament. In wrestling, I tried my best to inspire women. BJP IT cell tried to say that we are finished, we are doing politics. They said that I do not want to go after giving the trial, but I also gave the trial and reached the final of the Olympics. But God will have something else in mind. There can be no more virtuous work than the opportunity that God has given me to serve the country. It is a matter of pride for me. What I faced as a player, no one else should have to face it in future.
Earlier on Wednesday, Vinesh and Bajrang also met Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, after which speculations of both of them joining the Congress intensified. Voting for the assembly elections in Haryana is to be held on October 5, while the results will be announced on October 8.
Just before joining the Congress, Vinesh Phogat also resigned from the Indian Railways citing personal reasons. She posted on ‘X’ along with a picture of her resignation, “Serving the Indian Railways has been a memorable and proud time of my life.” Vinesh was working as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Northern Railways. She wrote that at this juncture of my life, I have decided to separate myself from the railway service and have submitted my resignation to the competent authorities of the Indian Railways. She said, “I will always be grateful to the Indian Railways family for this opportunity given to me by the Railways in serving the country.”
Let us tell you that Vinesh Phogata was disqualified from the 50 kg gold medal match in the Paris Olympics. Her weight was found to be 100 grams more. The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) also rejected her petition to be awarded a joint silver medal. On August 8, a day after being disqualified, she announced her retirement from wrestling. Ever since Vinesh returned home, there has been speculation that she will enter active politics like her cousin Babita.