On Vinesh Phogat's win, Bajrang Punia's veiled jab at BJP: 'Placed thorns…'

Paris Olympics: Feisty wrestler Phogat etched her name in history as she defeated the defending Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki and Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez to enter Paris Olympics finals

Vinesh Phogat at Paris Olympics: Wrestler Bajrang Punia on Tuesday heaped praises on his peer Vinesh Phogat for her performance at the women’s 50kg wrestling in Paris Olympics. She made her way to the finals, becoming the first Indian female wrestler to compete for gold in Olympics.

Phogat etched her name in history as she defeated the four-time world champion and defending Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki in the first round and then took down Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semi-final.

Phogat's final match for the Gold medal will take place tonight (August 8) at 12:45 am.

What did Bajrang Punia say about Vinesh Phogat’s victory?

“Vinesh has created history… today there are tears in the eyes of all Indians,” Punia said in a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter).

 

विनेश ने इतिहास रच दिया है. विनेश महिला कुश्ती में ओलंपिक के फाइनल में पहुंचने वाली पहली भारतीय महिला पहलवान बन गई हैं.

आज सब भारतीयों की आंखों में आसूं हैं.

ये देश की बेटियां हैं, जिन्होंने हमेशा ही देश की शान बढ़ाई है. जिन लोगों ने हमेशा इन बेटियों की राह में कांटे बिछाए… pic.twitter.com/NJ8t4p4h0Y

— Bajrang Punia ???????? (@BajrangPunia) August 6, 2024

“These are the daughters of the country, who have always brought glory to the country. Those who have always placed thorns in the path of these daughters will at least learn a lesson from these daughters and will refrain from sowing thorns in their path in future,” the Olympian wrote.

What made Phogat’s win even more astonishing is that she broke the Japanese legendary wrestler’s unbeaten record, marking her first loss in an international match (95) throughout her entire career.

2023 wrestlers’ protest

However, her win is overshadowed by the 2023 wrestlers’ protest, which she spearheaded with peers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik against former Wrestling Federation of India Chief Brij Bhushan Singh. The months-long protest sparked significant controversy, with Singh’s supporters alleging conspiracy by the group while the public largely backed the wrestlers.

Singh, who is a former Lok Sabha MP from the Bharatiya Janata Party, was accused of sexual misconduct against several top women wrestlers. The Delhi Police is currently investigating the case. Punia told India Today that Phogat’s medal will be a ‘slap on the face’ of Singh.

किसी ने सच कहा है जो लड़ा है सच के लिए वो निखर के आया है स्वर्ण के जैसे ! #विनेश_फोगाट ने इतिहास बना दिया !
ओलंपिक में रेसलिंग के फाइनल में पहुंचने वाली पहली महिला भारतीय पहलवान !

#GOLD     #Cheer4India #Wrestling    #hockey   #Paris2024      #neerajchopra… pic.twitter.com/DM2oek8UuH

— Abhinay Maths (@abhinaymaths) August 6, 2024

Vinesh Phogat’s protest image viral again

As Phogat clinched her Olympics victory on Tuesday, her image from the scene was widely shared on social media, placing it side-by-side with the photos of the May 28 protest event. On that day, the protesting wrestlers had planned a march in front of the new Parliament as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was inaugurating it. However, the march resulted in a face-off with the Delhi police, which detained them and lodged an FIR for violating security measures.

In response to the protests and widening public scrutiny, the BJP did drop Singh from the Lok Sabha elections 2024 this year but gave a ticket to his son, Karan Bhushan Singh, who retained his father’s Kaiserganj seat in Uttar Pradesh. On this, the Opposition had slammed the saffron party, terming the move as a reward for his father.

Malik had also lashed out at the BJP for nominating Karan while Punia had said that the BJP “does not care about the safety of women.”