Brij Bhushan accuses Vinesh Phogat of 'cheating' to attend Olympics
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, has accused Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat of cheating to participate in the games. "I want to ask Vinesh Phogat whether a player can give trials in two weight categories in one day? Can the trials be paused for five hours after the weigh-in?" he said. He added that Phogat did not win because "God has punished you" for cheating.
Bhushan questions Punia's Asian Games participation
Bhushan also questioned the legitimacy of Bajrang Punia's participation in the Asian Games. He alleged that Punia competed without completing the necessary trials. "Haryana is the crown of India in the field of sports. And they stopped the wrestling activities for almost 2.5 years. Is it not true that Bajrang went to the Asian Games without trials?" he asked during an interview with news agency ANI. The attack by Bhushan came shortly after the two wrestlers joined the Congress.
Bhushan refutes allegations of disrespecting daughters
Both Phogat and Punia were at the forefront of the wrestlers' protest last year against the former WFI chief over sexual harassment allegations by women wrestlers. But Bhushan defended himself against accusations of "disrespecting daughters," shifting the blame onto Punia and Phogat. He stated, "If anyone is guilty of disrespecting daughters, it is Bajrang and Vinesh. And the one who wrote the script, Bhupinder Hooda, is responsible for that."
Phogat and Punia's political entry with Congress
The Congress has fielded Phogat from the Julana seat for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. Punia did not get a ticket, but he has been appointed as the Working Chairman of the All India Kisan Congress. The Congress has also fielded former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency. Haryana will go to the polls on October 5.
