‘Hard times reveal true friends; all parties except BJP…,’ says Vinesh Phogat after joining Congress

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the Congress party ahead of assembly elections in Haryana.

The two Olympians had been at the forefront of last year's protests against the alleged sexual assault by former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

They met senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday and had a similar meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday, hours before formally joining the grand old party.

"I want to thank the people of the country for supporting me during my wrestling career and I hope I live up to their expectations. I want to thank the Congress because, as they say, it is only when times are hard that one finds out who is a true friend. When we were dragged on the roads, every party other than the BJP stood with us and understood our pain and our tears," Phogat said in Hindi.

Phogat is likely to contest from Julana seat, while Bajrang Punia is likely to contest from the Badli seat as Congress candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly Elections. An official announcement of their candidature is awaited, though.

Vinesh was in news recently when she reached the final of the women's 50kg event at the Paris Olympics but was disqualified before the final after breaching the 50kg weight limit. A day after her disqualification, she announced her decision to retire from wrestling. She also made a plea to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to award her a joint silver medal.

"I want to assure the people of the country that we will work for them with the same intensity with which we worked in wrestling. We stand with every woman who finds herself helpless. If I wanted, I could have left wrestling at Jantar Mantar (during the protests) but I reached the finals of the Olympics... but God had other plans. He has now given me a chance to serve the people of my country," she added.

The 90-member Haryana assembly is voting in single phase on October 5. The votes will be counted on October 8.

Punia said after joining that the Congress backed the wrestlers during their protest without even being asked to while BJP MPs ignored letters seeking their support. "We are paying the price for raising our voice in support of the daughters of the country. We will keep working for the people of the country and strengthen the Congress party as well as India. Everyone was happy when Vinesh Phogat reached the finals but some people also celebrated when she was disqualified," he said.