Former Wrestling Federation of India President and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Saturday termed Congress leaders and wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajran Punia “khalnayak” (villains).
On September 6, the two ace wrestlers joined the Congress almost a month before the Haryana assembly polls.
Brij Bhushan said, “Vo khalnayak hai Haryana ke. Visheshkar khildaiyo ke (They are villains of Haryana, especially to athletes).”
“Who is Bajrang Punia to even talk to me? He used his wife for political gains. Vinesh Phogat broke the rules by participating in a trial. The rule is that a player cannot give a trial in two weight categories on the same day. She took away the rights of junior wrestlers by giving an incorrect trial. They hijacked the entire system. The same weight she hid here became her downfall there (in Paris Olympics),” Singh said.
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He further asserted that if the two wrestlers step aside India will win at least five medals in next Olympics in wrestling.
“If these people hadn’t protested, we would have won five medals in wrestling. Let them step aside, and I announce that we will bring five medals in the next Olympics,” the BJP leader said.
“Today, if female athletes can’t walk with their heads held high, the reason is Bajrang, Vinesh, Bhupender Hooda, and the Congress party,” Brij Bhushan said.
Punia won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, while 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 Friday.
Within hours of them joining the party, Phogat was fielded in the Julana constituency for the upcoming Haryana polls. Whereas, Punia was appointed working president of the All India Kisan Congress.
The voting to the 90-member legislative assembly in Haryana will be held on October 5 and the last date for filing nominations is September 12. The counting of votes will be held on October 8.
In the 2019 elections, the BJP, with 40 seats in the 90-member assembly, formed a coalition government with the JJP, which had won 10 seats, while the Congress secured 31 seats. Earlier this year, the BJP-JJP alliance was dissolved.
