Wrestlers Babita Phogat and Mahavir Singh Phogat join BJP, say they were 'impressed with policies of Narendra Modi govt'

Chandigarh: Wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and his medal-winning daughter Babita Phogat, who inspired the Bollywood film ‘Dangal’, join the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday. Mahavir Phogat, who was chief of the Jannayak Janata Party’s sports cell, will switch sides from the JJP, which was floated last year by former Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala following a vertical split in the Indian National Lok Dal. The development comes barely two months before the Haryana Assembly polls.

Wrestler Babita Phogat with father Mahavir Singh Phogat join BJP https://t.co/0PQ2WjPJIr

— BJP (@BJP4India) August 12, 2019

Asked the reasons for joining the BJP, Mahavir Phogat said, “We are impressed with policies and programmes of the Narendra Modi government”. [caption id=“attachment_7149061” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Wrestler Babita Phogat and her father Mahavir Singh Phogat meet BJP Working President JP Nadda, after joining the party. Twitter/ANI[/caption] He praised the Modi government’s decision to revoke provisions of Article 370, terming it as a correct decision. “Scrapping Article 370 and several other decisions taken in the national interest by the Central government have impressed me and millions of countrymen like me. We will be joining the BJP at a function in the national capital on Monday,” Mahavir Phogat, a Dronacharya awardee, told PTI over the phone. He was also all praise for the ML Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana, saying it had provided jobs to the youths in a “fair and transparent manner”. Residents of Balali village near Bhiwani in Haryana, ace wrestler sisters Babita, Geeta and their father Mahavir Phogat’s life inspired the Aamir Khan stared ‘Dangal’. After the Modi government’s decision on Article 370, Babita Phogat had taken to Twitter to heap praise on the BJP leadership. “This day will always be remembered. Salute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Jai Hind,” she had tweeted. Babita had also defended Khattar after he courted controversy on his “brides from Kashmir” remarks.

हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री मनोहर लाल खट्टर जी ने ऐसा कोई बयान नहीं दिया है जिससे हमारी बहन बेटियों के बारे में गलत बोला गया हो मेरी मीडिया से प्रार्थना है कि उनके बयान को गलत तरीके से जनता के सामने पेश ना करें @mlkhattar https://t.co/9nsSYPGRJd

— Babita Phogat (@BabitaPhogat) August 10, 2019

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