Grand homecoming for ‘fighter’ Vinesh Phogat

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, August 17

Vinesh Phogat returned home to a rousing welcome on Saturday. With the BJP leadership missing — understandably so as Vinesh was part of the wrestlers’ protest over the WFI row — the Congress took the lead by sending Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda to receive the wrestler at the IGI Airport in New Delhi.

Wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, boxer Vijender Singh and family members were among those who joined her. Heavily garlanded, Vinesh stood up in a convertible vehicle to thank her supporters. Deepender presented a mace, a symbol of victory, to the wrestler.

Praising her fighting spirit, Deepender said 140 crore countrymen considered Vinesh an Olympic gold medallist. “The whole country is proud of its daughters,” he said. He also accompanied her during the Delhi stretch of the roadshow, organised from the airport to her native Balali village in Charkhi Dadri. It took over two hours for the roadshow to reach Haryana via the Badli border in Jhajjar district.

As Deepender left for Pundri to attend a political event, with the EC announcing October 1 Assembly poll in Haryana, Congress’ Badli MLA Kuldeep Vats joined the roadshow in his Assembly segment. Later, party MLA Geeta Bhukkal welcomed the wrestler on reaching Jhajjar town. Though Deepender avoided any political statement, Vats demanded the Congress should field the wrestler in the Assembly elections. “She has struggled a lot and has made her mark. I even demand that she be given the ticket by the Congress,” he said.

Deepender had backed the wrestlers’ agitation when Vinesh along with Sakshi, Bajrang and others had staged a dharna in Delhi. Recently, former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda said he would have nominated Vinesh as the Congress candidate for the vacant Rajya Sabha seat if the party had the numbers in the Assembly.

Haryana BJP spokesperson Neha Dhawan said they denounced the politicisation of the sports as “was being done by opposition leaders”.

“Vinesh is a sportsperson who has made India proud with her achievements. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has announced benefits on a par with silver Olympic medallists to Vinesh, but some opposition leaders are trying to set a political narrative around the issue,” she said. During the roadshow, Vinesh was welcomed by people at 12 places in Jhajjar district.