New Delhi : Wrestler Vinesh Phogat expressed pride as she joined the Congress party on Friday and said that the party "understood their pain and tears" when they faced police action during the protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar last year.
Phogat and Bajrag Punia joined the Congress party on Friday in the presence of Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, party leader Pawan Khera, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan and AICC in-charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria.
Phogat vowed to continue the fight especially for the women in the country and affirmed that she is proud she joined a party that stands with women and is ready to fight from 'sadak to sansad tak'.
"First of all I would like to thank the people of this country and also media persons, you have all been there with us supporting throughout our wrestling journey. I also thank the Congress party. I thank Congress party. Kehte hain na ki bure time mein pata lagta hai ki apna kaun hai. When we were being dragged on the road, all parties in the country except BJP were with us. They felt our tears, they felt our pain.
I feel proud that I have joined a party which stands with women and is ready to fight from 'sadak to sansad tak'. And I promise that with the zeal and will we have put in wrestling, we will stand with every citizen of the country especially women," Phogat said while addressing the
Recalling the days of the protest, Phogat said, "In wrestling, I tried my best to inspire women and young girls. If I wanted, I could have quit wrestling at Jantar Mantar, then everybody would have believed what BJP IT cell was trying to prove, that we are doing politics. They said I did not want to play at the national level, I played national championship. They said we did not want to give the trials, but we gave the trails. Then they said that we do not want to go to the Olympics, but I went, I even reached the finals. Unfortunately, God wanted something else."
"One thing I am sure is that if you put genuine efforts then it is not necessary that you get desired results at the same direction. It may reflect on something else. The God has now given me the chance to serve the people of my country. I believe there couldn't be a more blessed work. I am feeling so proud with this new beginning," she added. Phogat affirmed to continue her fight through the "new platform" and vowed her support to the people of the country.
"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 with heart, we will give our best to work for our people. I want to tell my sisters, that I am with them. If there will be no one for you, I will be there, Congress party will be there. I have felt this, and I can assure you that we will be there for sure," Phogat said.
On joining the party, wrestler Bajrang Punia asserted to work towards strengthening the Congress party and the nation. "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 stands with atrocities against women, and all other parties stand with us. We will work hard to strengthen the Congress party and the nation...The day Vinesh qualified for finals the country was happy but the next day everyone was sad. At that time, one IT Cell was celebrating," Punia said.
Both the top wrestlers were part of protests by wrestlers over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh last year. Earlier today, both the wrestlers had called on Congress national President Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in the national capital. The development comes ahead of polling for 90-member Haryana Assembly scheduled for October 5 with counting of votes scheduled on October 8.
The wrestlers resigned from their respective positions in Northern Railways earlier in the day. Punia won bronze at the Tokyo Games bronze medallist, while Vinesh Phogat became the first woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final. Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling a short while after she was disqualified from the Paris Olympic Games after being found overweight by about 100 gm in her 50-kg category weigh-in.