Will keep proving Brij Bhushan 'wrong': Vinesh Phogat

“Think of all that he has said…that he would hang himself if any woman came forward to accuse him. Many did. And what did he do? He accused me of cheating…that I wanted to change rules. That I do not want to compete at national levels or trials. But I competed nationally, competed at trials, went to Olympics. I qualified on my own. I have proved him wrong at every turn and will do so now as well,” she told NDTV on Sunday.

Also Read | Brij Bhushan's first reaction as Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia join Congress: 'Bhupinder Hooda wrote the script’

Phogat and fellow grappler Bajrang Punia joined the Congress party on Friday, ahead of October's assembly elections in Haryana, their home state, where the BJP, of which Brij Bhushan is a member, has been in power since October 2014.

Phogat, who missed out on at least a silver medal at the recent Paris Olympics after being disqualified on being found overweight ahead of her final bout, has been fielded by the Congress from Julana. Punia, on the other hand, has been appointed as the working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress.

Commenting on the wrestlers taking political plunge, Brij Bhushan had remarked that Vinesh's disqualification was God's ‘punishment’ for her ‘cheating.’

Last year, while serving as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the BJP leader faced protests by wrestlers led by Olympians Phogat, Punia, and Sakshi Malik, for allegedly sexually harassing several female wrestlers, including minors, a charge he has repeatedly denied.

Also Read | ‘Won’t join politics’: Sakshi Malik on Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia joining Congress

The matter is currently in court.

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