New Delhi: The echoes of the Haryana Assembly elections continue reverberating, with the political landscape coloured by a mix of celebration and controversy. One of the most talked-about victories came from Vinesh Phogat, the wrestling champion turned Congress politician who secured a seat in the Julana constituency.
However, the win was overshadowed by a scathing attack from Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the BJP MP embroiled in a sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers. “She won but the party lost,” Singh said in his first reaction after the result.
Singh, who is accused of the alleged misconduct, claimed that Phogat’s victory, achieved by using his name, was a testament to his own influence. He went further, declaring that Phogat’s presence in the political arena would only bring “destruction.”
While acknowledging the BJP’s overall success in the elections, Singh dismissed the protest as a failed attempt to derail the party’s chances. He emphasised the BJP’s strong showing in Jat-majority constituencies, a demographic traditionally considered crucial for electoral success. “Many BJP candidates have won on ‘jat’ majority seats… The so-called wrestlers in the wrestler’s agitation are not heroes of Haryana. They are villains for all the junior wrestlers also… If she (Vinesh Phogat) used my name to win, it means I am a great man who helped her win. She won but Congress lost… ‘Wo jahan jahan jaegi, satyanaash hi hoga (she will spread destruction wherever she goes)’.”
“I would like to thank the people of Haryana. Many efforts were made to mislead the people of Haryana in the name of protests of farmers and wrestlers. However, people have praised the policies of BJP,” he added.
Phogat, on the other hand, framed her win as a symbol of empowerment and a victory for truth and justice. “This is the fight of every girl, every woman who chooses the path to fight,” she stated, emphasizing the significance of her victory as a testament to the strength and resilience of women.
“This is the fight of every girl, every woman who chooses the path to fight. This is the victory of every struggle, truth. I will maintain the love and trust that this country has given me,” the wrestling-champ-turned Congress politician said.
