India
oi-Amit Vasudev
Wrestlers
Vinesh
Phogat
and
Bajrang
Punia
are
set
to
join
the
Indian
National
Congress
at
1:30
pm
today,
just
ahead
of
the
Haryana
Assembly
elections.
This
comes
days
after
their
meeting
with
Congress
leader
Rahul
Gandhi
on
September
4,
sparking
widespread
speculation
about
their
political
move.
Both
Punia
and
Phogat
were
at
the
forefront
of
protests
against
Brij
Bhushan
Sharan
Singh,
former
BJP
MP
and
ex-chief
of
the
Wrestling
Federation
of
India,
accusing
him
of
harassing
young
wrestlers.
Following
their
meeting
with
Gandhi,
opposition
figures
have
been
vocal.
Union
Minister
Manohar
Lal
Khattar
commented,
“I
think
our
athletes
got
trapped
in
a
political
maze
during
the
protests.
What
started
back
then
is
reaching
its
climax
now.
The
wrestlers’
protests
were
politically
motivated.
These
people
(wrestlers)
are
seeking
a
ticket
from
the
Congress.
This
means
that
there
is
a
nexus.
If
it
wasn’t
clear
then,
it
is
absolutely
clear
now,” as
reported
by
ANI.
The
Congress
sees
the
wrestlers’
entry
into
politics
as
an
opportunity
to
capitalize
on
the
anti-incumbency
wave
in
the
state
and
boost
Jat
votes.
Last
month,
Phogat
missed
an
Olympic
medal
due
to
disqualification,
prompting
Haryana
minister
Bhupinder
Hooda
to
propose
offering
her
a
Rajya
Sabha
seat.
However,
she
was
ineligible
due
to
age.
The
Haryana
Assembly
elections
are
scheduled
for
October
5,
2024,
with
vote
counting
on
October
8.
