Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Olympic bronze medallist and Congress leader Bajrang Punia has hit back at former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh after Singh claimed that wrestler Vinesh Phogat “deserved to be disqualified” from the Paris Olympics. Punia, who recently joined Congress along with Phogat, criticized Singh’s comments as revealing his mentality towards the country and its athletes.
Singh, a former BJP MP, questioned Phogat’s qualification for the Paris Olympics, alleging that she cheated during the trials. “Is it not true that Bajrang went to the Asian Games without trials? I want to ask those who are experts in wrestling. I want to ask Vinesh Phogat if a player can give trials in two weight categories in one day? Can the trials be stopped for five hours after the weigh-in?” Singh told ANI, further stating, “You did not win the wrestling, you went there by cheating. God has punished you for the same.”
In response, Punia firmly defended Phogat in an interview with India Today, accusing Singh of gloating over the loss of a fellow Indian athlete. “It was not Vinesh’s medal. It was the medal of 140 crore Indians, and he is gloating over her loss,” Punia remarked, adding, “Those who celebrated Vinesh’s disqualification, are they really patriots? We have been fighting for the country since childhood, and they dare to teach us about patriotism. Meanwhile, they are the ones molesting girls.”
Punia’s comments refer to the allegations of sexual harassment that Brij Bhushan Singh faces, which were central to last year’s protests led by wrestlers, including Punia and Phogat.
Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat Join Congress
On Friday, both Punia and Phogat officially joined Congress, with the party naming Phogat as a candidate for the Julana constituency in the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. Speaking at the press conference, Punia expressed his commitment to strengthening the Congress and the nation.
“The day Vinesh qualified for the finals, the country was happy, but the next day everyone was sad. And at that time, an IT cell was celebrating,” Punia said, referring to the online trolling faced by Phogat following her disqualification.
The Congress released its first list of 31 candidates for the Haryana elections on the same day, with Phogat being one of the prominent faces of the party’s campaign. Voting for the 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled for October 5, with counting set to take place on October 8.
Punia, who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and Vinesh Phogat, the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final, have become leading figures not just in sports but now in the political arena as well.
