 "Vinesh Phogat declined PM Modi's call after Paris Olympics disqualification: 'They put conditions in front of me'")
Former wrestler and Congress party’s candidate from Julana in the Haryana assembly election, Vinesh Phogat, has now revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called her after disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024 but she refused to speak to the political leader. Vinesh was disqualified on the morning of her 50kg wrestling final after failing to make weight by 100 grams.
She later appealed for a joint silver at the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) but it was rejected leading to the 30-year-old retiring from wrestling.
Read | Yogeshwar criticises Vinesh over Paris Olympics disqualification
Her history-making journey to the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics, after spending days protesting on the streets of Delhi against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, resonated with people across India. Many took to social media, questioning why PM Modi has not spoken to Vinesh yet, despite her disqualification.
Phogat reveals details over PM Modi’s call
Vinesh has now revealed that PM Modi had arranged for a call with her but she declined as the former wrestler did not want to make “fun of my emotions and hard work on social media”.
“The call had come (from PM) but I refused to speak. The call did not come directly to me but Indian officials who were there informed me that he (PM Modi) wanted to talk. I was ready. They put conditions in front of me that nobody from your team will be there, and two people from our team will be there. One person will shoot the video and the other will facilitate the call and this will be posted on social media. I didn’t want to make fun of my emotions and hard work on social media,” she told in an interview with Lallantop.
“If he really had sympathy towards an athlete then he can speak without recording and I will be grateful. Maybe he knows if I speak to Vinesh she will ask about the last two years. Maybe that’s why I was instructed that there will be no phone from my side because they can edit (video) from their end but I will not edit. I will post the original video. So they denied.”
Impact Shorts
More Shortsस्वाभिमान क्या होता है यह @Phogat_Vinesh से बेहतर कोई नहीं समझा सकता। pic.twitter.com/UJW7yl3b0R
— Pappu Ram Choudhary (@pappu_dhatarwal) October 2, 2024
Vinesh was the face of the wrestlers’ protests against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) head Brij Bhushan, who has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple female wrestlers. Vinesh has also consistently questioned PM Modi’s silence on the matter.
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