BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar reacted to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with Olympians Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia on Wednesday and said that it proves that last year’s wrestlers’ protest was “politically motivated”.
“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,” news agency ANI quoted the former Haryana Chief Minister as saying.
Earlier on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi shared a picture of his meeting with Phogat and Punia, giving rise to speculation about the wrestlers’ entry into politics ahead of the Haryana Assembly election and announcement of Congress’s candidate list.
Voting for the 90-member Assembly in Haryana will be held on October 5 and counting of votes will be done on October 8.
Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat were among the wrestlers who protested for months against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, former BJP MP and then chief of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). They accused Singh of sexually harassing several young junior wrestlers.