7 August, Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, praised wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday following her historic victory in the semi-final of the Olympics in Paris.
Vinesh Phogat defeated Yusneylys Guzman of Cuba 5-0 in the semifinal bout to become the first Indian to go to the women’s wrestling final at the Olympics. She also triumphed over Tokyo 2020 champion Yui Susaki of Japan in the quarterfinals. Notably, it was the Japanese wrestler’s first loss in eighty-two international contests.
Rahul Gandhi said on social network X in response to Vinesh Phogat’s accomplishment that the entire nation is feeling the same emotions as the wrestler.
INDIAN WRESTLER VINESH PHOGAT
Rahul Gandhi stated, “This is the identity of champions that they give their answer on the field,” seemingly alluding to the nation’s top wrestlers’ protest against former Wrestlers’ Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Additionally, he noted that anyone who cast doubt on the motives and skills of Vinesh Phogat and her friends or refused to accept their struggles have been answered.
“The entire nation is overcome with emotion, as is Vinesh, following her victories against three of the world’s best wrestlers in one day. The former Congress chairman wrote in Hindi on X, “Those who refused to acknowledge the struggle of Vinesh and her friends, even raised questions on their intentions and abilities, all of them have got an answer.”
Gandhi stated, “This is the identity of champions; they give their answer on the field. Today, the entire system of power which made her shed tears of blood lay shattered in front of the brave daughter of India.”
Gandhi expressed her wish for Vinesh to win the match and mentioned that Delhi is definitely hearing the ripple effects of her triumph in Paris.
WRESTLERS PROTEST 2023
Last year, female wrestlers accused Brij Bhushan, who is also a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of sexual harassment. Since 2012, the BJP leader, at 67 years old, has served as WFI’s head.
Prominent wrestlers like Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya had publicly criticized the six-time parliamentarian’s “dictatorial” leadership style in addition to accusing him of sexual harassment and mental torture.
Prominent wrestlers from around the nation, such as Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, among others, staged two protracted protests in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar last year, calling for action against Singh.
IMAGE FROM WRESTLERS PROTEST 2023
On the day of the new Parliament building’s inauguration in May, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and others were arrested by the Delhi Police for their protest. Following the event, the wrestlers traveled to Haridwar to cast their medals into the Ganges, but Naresh Tikait, the leader of the farmers, intervened at the last second.
The Rouse Avenue court in Delhi gave the order to start the trial and record the statements of the prosecution’s witnesses in alleged sexual harassment case against Brij Bhushan on July 11 of this year.
This came after the court found enough evidence against Singh to file accusations of sexual harassment, intimidation, and insulting women’s modesty. In the case, the BJP leader entered a not guilty plea.
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