Taking a dig at Vinesh Phogat after she joined Congress, former BJP MP and Wrestling Federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh claimed that God punished Phogat and she could not win a medal. He accused the Olympic wrestler of cheating to attend 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?... You did not win the wrestling; you went there by cheating. God has punished you for it," the former WFI president said.
This comes a day after Congress announced Vinesh Phogat as a candidate from the Julana constituency for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections.
Brij Bhushan also claimed that Vinesh was not entitled to go to the Olympics, stating, "She had taken away another player's rightful spot in the Olympics."
He further alleged, "She went to the Olympics by taking the spot of the girl who had defeated her in the trials, and by creating a commotion. Therefore, whatever happened to her was justified, and she deserved it."
Moreover, the sexual harassment accused ex-WFI chief claimed that Bajrang Punia, who was named Kisan Congress working president, had participated in the Asian Games without completing the 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? I want to ask those who are experts in wrestling," said Brij Bhushan.
Notably, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia were at the forefront of the wrestlers' protest last year against the then-president of the Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Singh claimed that Phogat is the "face of the Congress conspiracy" and she was part of well planned plot against him by Congress leader Deepender Hooda and the Hooda family.
He further asserted that he is "not guilty of disrespecting daughters" saying, "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."
Singh mentioned that he will join the campaign for the BJP in Haryana if asked, asserting that any BJP candidate is capable of defeating Phogat in Haryana.
After joining the Congress, Phogat had said that the BJP supported Brij Bhushan while the Congress supported wrestlers when they "were being dragged on the roads" in Delhi. Punia also said that the Congress stood with them during the protests.
