New Delhi, September 6: Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Sanjay Singh on Friday expressed no surprise over Olympian wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joining the Congress ahead of the Assembly elections in Haryana, as he came down heavily on the two grapplers for "damaging and destroying" the sport in pursuit of their "political desire".

Speaking to IANS, Singh said Vinesh and Punia were acclaimed wrestlers till now, but they will be henceforth recognised as "pawns" of Congress, adding that it is amply clear now as to who fuelled the wrestlers' stir in the national capital. Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia Join Congress Ahead of Haryana Assembly Elections 2024 (Watch Video).

Levelling serious charges against the two Haryana wrestlers, Singh said the nation paid a heavy price because of their motivated protest, which was apparently backed by the Congress. “Congress and the said wrestlers have committed an act of 'desh droh' (treason) in an Olympic year. We lost at least six medals because of them,” claimed the WFI chief in a stinging diatribe at their ‘collusion’.

Accusing the wrestler duo of causing irreparable damage to the sport, Singh said that instead of showing their true political colours now, they should have done it right at the beginning (of the protest). “They may have officially started their political innings today but the groundwork for this was going for a long time. Their whole movement seeking justice for women wrestlers was politically motivated and Congress was behind it,” he claimed. “Deepender Hooda was behind it. He orchestrated the entire protest,” he added. Vinesh Phogat Joins Congress, Says ‘Joined a Party Which Stands With Women and Is Ready to Fight From Sadak to Sansad’ (Watch Video).

Launching a broadside at the two wrestlers, the WFI chief said if they wanted to pursue politics, they should have joined the Congress long back. “Why did they resort to such tactics in the guise of furthering their political agenda? Why did they destroy the sport,” he asked. On Vinesh's claims that they will take their fight from ‘Sadak' to 'Sansad’, Singh said the country understands the ‘devious’ designs of the Congress, and they will also realise soon that it doesn’t hesitate from betraying its own.

WFI Chief Sanjay Singh Hits Out at  Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia

While joining the Congress on Friday, Vinesh thanked the party for standing by them in tough times, saying she could have retired from Jantar Mantar only, but opted to compete in the Olympics. Replying to this, Singh said digging old grievances wouldn’t do any good. He, however, added that the wrestler received full support from the federation and in doing so, some players had to make sacrifices. “We lost six medals because of their demonstration,” the WFI chief claimed.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 06, 2024 10:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).