As Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia entered politics and joined the Congress on Friday, Olympic wrestler Sakshi Malik said that the choice to join the political party was solely the personal choice of the two athletes and that she herself won’t be taking a political plunge as she wanted to further the cause of women in wrestling.
“I also got several political offers, Sakshi Malik told ANI adding that she refused to take them up because she says she “believes in staying true to my fight for women in wrestling.”
Sakshi Malik said, “It is their personal choice to join the party. I believe that we should make sacrifices. Our agitation, the fight for women should not be given a wrong impression… From my end, the agitation continues…I too had received offers but I wanted to see what I started till the end. Unless the Federation is cleaned and the exploitation of women ends, my fight will continue. The fight is genuine and it will continue.” She further said that her fight was against only one person Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and she would not join political campaigns ahead of polls in Haryana.
“I am apolitical. I work in Railways. My fight was only against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. I am not linked to any party so I will not join any party campaign,” Sakshi said.
Both Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia on Friday met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence and later joined the grand-old party at the party headquarters in Delhi.
Sakshi Malik was also among the wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, who protested against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, former BJP MP and then chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), who they accused of harassing several young junior wrestlers.
This development comes ahead of polling for the 90-member Haryana Assembly scheduled for October 5 with counting of votes will take place on October 8.
(With inputs from ANI)