Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 6: With the elections to the Haryana state Assembly to be held next month, the Congress made major gains on Friday with two top Olympian wrestlers joining the party and are likely to be fielded as its candidates.
The wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, both Olympians, who had been at the forefront of last year’s protests against the alleged sexual assault and intimidation by former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, had met senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday.
On Friday, Ms Phogat and Mr Punia, who are both 30 years old, met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence before formally joining the party at its headquarters in New Delhi. “Chak de India, Chak de Haryana! Met our talented champions Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who have made India proud in the world, at 10, Rajaji Marg. We are proud of both of you,” Mr Kharge posted on X.
Speaking at the event at the Congress office, Ms Phogat said it was only when times are bad that people know who is really standing with them. “I want to thank the people of the country for supporting me during my wrestling career and I hope I live up to their expectations. I want to thank the Congress because, as they say, it is only when times are bad that one finds out who is standing with them. When we were dragged on the roads, every party other than the BJP stood with us and understood our pain and our tears,” she said in Hindi.
“I am very proud to be associated with a party that stands up against misbehaviour and injustice against women… I want to assure the people of the country that we will work for them with the same intensity with which we worked in wrestling. We stand with every woman who finds herself helpless. If I wanted, I could have left wrestling at Jantar Mantar (during the protests) but I reached the finals of the Olympics… but God had other plans. He has now given me a chance to serve the people of my country,” she added.
Mr Punia said the Congress backed the wrestlers during their protest without even being asked to while BJP MPs ignored letters seeking their support. “We are paying the price for raising our voice in support of the daughters of the country… We will keep working for the people of the country and strengthen the Congress party as well as India. Everyone was happy when Vinesh Phogat reached the finals but some people also celebrated when she was disqualified,” he said.
“Whether one of them will contest or both would contest would become clear soon,” party sources said. While no official announcement has been made yet, Ms Phogat is expected to contest from the Julana constituency, held by the Jannayak Janta Party, in the Haryana Assembly polls while Mr Punia is likely to be fielded from the Badli seat.
Mr Punia is a Tokyo Games bronze medallist, while Ms Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final, the stage where she was disqualified after being found over weight by about 100 gm in her 50-kg category weigh-in.
Hours before joining the Congress, Ms Phogat resigned as an officer on special duty (OSD) with the Northern Railways, citing personal reasons. Posting a photo of her resignation letter, the wrestler wrote on X: “Serving Indian Railways has been a memorable and proud time of my life. At this point in my life, I have decided to separate myself from my service in the railways and have submitted my resignation to the competent authorities of the Indian Railways. I will always be grateful to the Indian Railway family for this opportunity given to me by the Railways in the service of the nation.
Ms Phogat’s popularity has received a boost recently after she missed out on what would have been at least a silver medal after being disqualified for exceeding the weight limit by 100 grams ahead of the final bout in the 50 kg freestyle wrestling event. The grit shown by the wrestler in defeating reigning gold medallist Yui Susaki of Japan and going on to enter the final had earned her plaudits while her eventual disqualification had broken a billion hearts.
Ms Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling after the disqualification and all eyes had been on her next steps. Last week, she reached the Haryana-Punjab Shambhu border, extended her support to farmers staging a protest for a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and said she stood with them as their daughter.
“Your agitation completes 200 days today. I pray to God that you get what you have come here for – your right, for justice…Your daughter stands with you. I also urge the government… we too are citizens of this country, if we raise our voices it is not political every time…You should hear them…What they are demanding is not unlawful,” she had said.
The entry of the wrestlers into the Congress is expected to give it a boost as Ms Phogat is seen to enjoy support among farmers, who make up a significant voting bloc in Haryana. The Congress is hoping that the farmers’ anger against the BJP will help it dislodge the party from a state it has ruled since 2014.
The Congress will also hope that Mr Punia and Ms Phogat joining the party will give it an upper hand in its negotiations with INDIA ally AAP in seat-sharing for the 90 constituencies in the state. While an in-principle agreement regarding an alliance had been announced on Wednesday, there appears to be a stalemate between the two parties with the AAP seeking 10 seats and the Congress willing to give up only five to seven.
Upbeat after winning five out of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana this year after the BJP’s clean sweep in 2019, the state unit of the Congress was reluctant to part with any Assembly constituencies but the push for a tie-up has reportedly come from Rahul Gandhi, who has maintained that it will ensure there is no division of votes and give the party its best possible chance to defeat the BJP.
Differences within the Congress have reportedly delayed its first list of candidates and the BJP has been facing pushback and a rebellion since it did so on Wednesday, with Energy Minister Ranjit Chautala and MLA Lakshman Napa quitting the party after being denied tickets. Mr Chautala has said he will contest as an Independent and Mr Napa has announced that he will be joining the Congress.
Voting on 90 Assembly seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and counting of votes will be undertaken on October 8.