Panchkula (Haryana): Following wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joining the Congress party on Friday, Haryana Assembly Speaker and BJP leader Gian Chand Gupta alleged that the former Haryana Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda sponsored the "Vinesh Phogat's protest" at Jantar Mantar and that such things should not happen in sports.
"The way Bhupinder Singh Hooda sponsored Vinesh Phogat's protest in Jantar Mantar and she was given such special treatment, and what the former WFI president said about her getting a special recommendation to get promoted, in sports, such things must not happen," Gupta said on Saturday.
He further stated that Congress has fully exposed itself by indulging in politics with athletes by fielding Vinesh Phogat from the Julana constituency for the upcoming Haryana polls.
"And by fielding Vinesh Phogat (for Haryana Polls), Congress has been fully exposed since they fielded Vinesh Phogat; they can even play politics with athletes. They can use athletes for political advantage and they did it," he added.
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Earlier on Saturday, former WFI president and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said the joining of Phogat and Punia to the Congress party proves that the entire wrestlers' movement was a "conspiracy" against him and the Congress party was behind it.
Brij Bhushan further stated that just when the wrestler's protest started at Jantar Mantar in January last year, he had claimed that it was not a movement of sportspersons and that Congress was behind it, led by Bhupinder Hooda.
"On 18th January 2023, when the protest started at Jantar Mantar, I said that this is not a movement of sportspersons; Congress is behind it. Especially Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda, Priyanka Ji, and Rahul Ji. This is a movement of Congress. And today this thing has been proved. In this entire movement, the conspiracy that happened against us, Congress was involved in it and Bhupinder Hooda was leading it," he said.
Singh further alleged that the wrestler's protest was not for the dignity of women, adding that because of the protests, the 'daughters' of Haryana are facing embarrassment.
On Friday, the two ace wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, joined the Congress almost a month before the Haryana assembly polls. Punia won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, while Vinesh Phogat became the first woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final in Paris last month. The wrestlers resigned from their respective positions in Northern Railways earlier on that day.
Within hours of them joining the party, wrestler Vinesh Phogat was fielded in the Julana constituency for the upcoming Haryana polls. Whereas, Bajrang Punia was appointed working president of the All India Kisan Congress.
—ANI