NEW DELHI, Sep 6: Olympians Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who were at the forefront of the wrestlers’ protest against then WFI chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, entered the political arena on Friday by joining the Congress with a vow of “not being scared or backing off”.
Phogat and Punia met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence and later joined the party at the AICC headquarters in the presence of Congress general secretary in-charge organisation KC Venugopal, AICC general secretary in-charge Haryana Deepak Babaria, Haryana Congress chief Uday Bhan and the party’s media and publicity department head Pawan Khera.
Both Phogat and Punia or at least one are set to contest the assembly polls in Haryana on a Congress ticket, the sources said.
The Julana seat is being considered for Phogat, they added.
At the press conference during which they joined the party, Venugopal claimed that Phogat received a showcause notice from the Railways after she met Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday.
Party sources said the notice talked about violating service rules by meeting political leaders.
Venugopal asked if it was a crime to meet the leader of the opposition and urged the Railway authorities to relieve Phogat and not “play politics”.
Without elaborating, Venugopal claimed Punia had also got a notice.
Phogat on Friday resigned from the Indian Railways, citing personal reasons.
After joining the party, Phogat said the BJP was supporting Singh while the Congress supported the protesting wrestlers when they “were being dragged on the roads” in Delhi.
Punia and Phogat were part of the protest over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Singh in 2023.“I thank the people of the country and the media, you supported me throughout my wrestling journey. I thank the Congress party, it is said tough times tell you about who is with you. When we were dragged on the roads, all parties except the BJP stood with us and understood our pain and tears,” the 30-year-old said at the press conference.
She said she felt proud that she was with a party and an ideology that stood against injustice on women and was ready to fight the battle from the streets to Parliament.(PTI)
