Manu Bhaker's tweets reminding BJP leader about ₹2cr reward resurface
Olympian Manu Bhaker's old dispute with then Haryana sports minister Anil Vij has resurfaced following her historic bronze medal win in the 10m air pistol event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The dispute began when Vij announced a ₹2 crore cash prize for Bhaker following her gold medal win at the Youth Olympics in 2018. However, by January 2019, Bhaker had not received the promised reward and expressed her frustration on X.
Bhaker's unfulfilled cash reward sparks Twitter spat
In her old tweets, she posted screenshots of Vij's promise and questioned if it was genuine or just a "jumla" (a political term in India often used to denote an empty promise). Furious over the denouncement, Vij demanded an apology from her and criticized her for airing grievances publicly without first confirming with the sports department. He labeled her actions as "disgusting" and reiterated that she would receive the promised ₹2 crore.
Vij's response and the reignition of controversy
On Sunday, after Bhaker won bronze at the Paris Olympics, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi posted screenshots of Vij's old tweet criticizing Bhaker. "Haryana Government Minister...Shamelessly will now seek to take credit any minute for her bronze win at the #ParisOlympics2024," Chaturvedi wrote. Bhaker shot a total of 221.7 to secure a podium finish, finishing just 0.1 points behind silver medallist Oh Yejin of South Korea.
Chaturvedi shares old tweet by Vij
Bhaker's historic win and future endeavors
Describing her win as "surreal," Bhaker thanked her supporters and vowed to continue putting in effort for future events. The accomplishment opened the country's account at the Paris Games and ended a 12-year wait for its shooters. She is set to participate next in the Mixed Team 10m air pistol and 25m sports pistol events.
