Congress pitches Vinesh as ‘face of anti-BJP protest’ over women harassment

The Congress has pitched wrestler-turned-politician and newly elected MLA from Julana Vinesh Phogat as the “face of anti-BJP protest” over alleged women harassment cases.

Vinesh had led the wrestlers’ protest against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and senior BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. She shared the stage with All India Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba in New Delhi today to raise the issue of the Uttar Pradesh Police allegedly targeting Youth Congress leader Roshni Jaiswal after she slapped a BJP worker over alleged “rape threats” issued by him.

A senior Congress leader told The Tribune that the party wanted to use Vinesh’s image as a youth icon to put the BJP on the mat as the saffron party allegedly tries to suppress cases of injustice against women.

“As she is the face of the women wrestlers’ protest against a powerful six-time MP, her voice carries a lot of credibility. On becoming MLA, Vinesh will get a chance to raise cases of women harassment both inside and outside the Haryana Assembly,” he asserted.

The Congress leader said that given her celebrity status, Vinesh would be a perfect antidote to the BJP’s “misinformation” about all it has done for women empowerment. Incidentally, besides Sirsa MP Kumari Selja, not many prominent women politicians from the Haryana Congress are active at the national level. “A role for Vinesh at the national level could go a long way in bringing back women and youth to the Congress,” the leader contended.

While Vinesh highlighted the sexual harassment cases involving BJP leaders in other states, she made a special mention of such cases in her home state. The case involving former minister Sandeep Singh and the recent one related to seven women police constables alleging sexual harassment by an IPS officer were raised by her. Vinesh reiterated she would be always available to take up the cases of women harassment anywhere in the country.