Bajrang Punia hits back at Brij Bhushan Singh on ex-WFI chief's ‘cheating’ dig at Vinesh Phogat

Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, who participated in last year's protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, joined the Congress on Friday

Published on: Sep 7, 2024, 15:27:52 IST

By HT News Desk

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Olympic bronze medallist wrestler and Congress leader Bajrang Punia on Saturday slammed former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh after the former BJP MP said that Vinesh Phogat “deserved to be disqualified” from Paris Olympics.

Day after both Punia and Vinesh Phogat joined the Congress, Singh told ANI,"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 whether a player can give trials in 2 weight categories in a day? Can the trials be stopped for 5 hours after the weigh-in?... You did not win the wrestling, you went there by cheating. God has punished you for the same."

Speaking to India Today, Punia hit out at Singh, saying that the remarks “exposes the mentality” of Singh towards the country.

ALSO READ: Brij Bhushan's first reaction as Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia join Congress: 'Bhupinder Hooda wrote the script’

“ It was not Vinesh’s medal. It was 140 crore Indians’ medal. And he is gloating at her loss,” the working chairman of All India Kisan Congress said.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia joined Congress on Friday. (Vipin Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

"Those who celebrated Vinesh’s disqualification, are they deshbhakts? We are fighting for the country since childhood, and they dare to teach us patriotism. They are molesting girls," Punia told India Today.

Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat join Congress

Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, among the faces of last year's protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faces sexual harassment charges, joined the Congress on Friday.

"We will work hard to strengthen the Congress and the nation The day Vinesh qualified for the finals, the country was happy but the next day everyone was sad. At that time, one IT cell was celebrating," Punia said at the Friday press conference.

The Congress on Friday released its first list of 31 candidates for the Haryana assembly elections. The party has named Phogat as its candidate from the Julana constituency.

Punia won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, while Vinesh Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final.

Voting for the 90-member Haryana Assembly will be held on October 5 and votes will be counted on October 8.

(With agency inputs)

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HT News Desk
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