New Delhi: The script was ready, the formalities were completed on Friday afternoon as wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat joined Congress in the presence of senior leaders KC Venugopal and Pawan Khera.
It was a big boost for Congress ahead of Haryana Assembly election which is scheduled for October 5.
The two Olympians were among a group of wrestlers who protested for months against alleged sexual harassment charges against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a former BJP Lok Sabha MP.
Vinesh and Bajrang, who quit their Railway jobs before going to the Congress headquarters, thanked the grand old party for standing beside them during their fight against Brij Bhushan.
“I want to thank the Congress party. When we were protesting, except the BJP, all other parties were understanding our pain. Congress is ready to fight for the women of this country. I want to assure each and every woman of this country, that we are standing with them. BJP IT Cell tried to build an image that we won’t be able to do wrestling and that is why we are doing politics. But I fought back. It is a very proud moment for me. I want that no other athlete would face what we had faced in the past,” said Vinesh, who missed out on a medal at the Paris Olympics despite entering the final as she was found to be 100 grams above permissible weight during the weigh-in.
#WATCH | After joining the Congress party, Vinesh Phogat says, “The fight is continuing, it hasn’t ended yet. It’s in Court. We will win that fight as well… With the new platform that we are getting today, we will work for the service of the nation. The way we played our game… pic.twitter.com/WRKn5Aufv2
— ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2024
Bajrang, bronze-medallist at the Tokyo Olympics, was also vocal against the stance taken by BJP.
“The BJP is saying that we were only doing politics… I want to tell them that we had given letters to its leaders but still no one had come to support us. We had not asked anything from Congress, still they were with us. When the entire country was feeling bad for Vinesh, it was BJP IT cell which was celebrating,” Bajrang said.
#WATCH | Delhi | On joining Congress, Bajrang Punia says, “…What BJP IT Cell is saying today that we just wanted to do politics…We had written to all women BJP MPs to stand with us but they still didn’t come. We are paying to raise the voices of women but now we know that BJP… pic.twitter.com/FGViVeGJLY
— ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2024
