Vinesh Phogat slams Sakshi Malik's 'greed' claim: 'The fight cannot be weak'

Former Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat has denied Sakshi Malik’s allegations that people in close touch with Phogat herself and Bajrang Punia had filled their minds with “greed”. In her book titled Witness, Sakshi, an Olympic medallist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, had said that the decision of Vinesh and Bajrang to accept exemption from the Asian Games trials last year had hurt the image of the wrestlers' protests against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

‘I don’t agree with that’

”That is her personal opinion. I don’t agree with that. Unless I am weak, the fight cannot be weak. This is my belief. Till the time Sakshi, Vinesh and Bajrang are alive, the fight cannot be weak,” Vinesh, now a Congress MLA, told PTI Video.

”Those who want to win should never be weak. They should always choose to fight on the field. For that you will have to be tough and face the obstacles. And we are ready for fight.”

The trio had alleged that Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh sexually harassed women wrestlers during his tenure as WFI president. The case is still being heard in a Delhi court.

Also read | Sakshi Malik reveals sexual harassment ordeal in memoir

The ad-hoc committee, that took over the administration of wrestling after WFI’s suspension, exempted Bajrang and Vinesh from the 2023 Asian Games trials but Sakshi decided not to seek the favour as suggested by her colleagues.

Eventually, Sakshi did not compete while Vinesh suffered an injury before the Games and Bajrang failed to win a medal in Hangzhou.

‘Will continue to fight till we are alive’

Vinesh, who was elected from Julana constituency in the Haryana Assembly elections earlier this month, said their fight will continue ”till we are alive”.

”When we were playing, the responsibility of crores of people of the country was on us. Today I am elected (as MLA) from Congress party … even today the whole nation is looking at us,” she said.

”But we can assure you that the fight we fought on the streets and up to Olympics is for all daughters and sisters and for all women who know how to fight and want to fight. Farmers, youth and athletes are the foundation of our country. We will fight till we are alive.”

The protest, which went for months, ended after the wrestlers’ march towards the new Parliament Building was halted by the Police on 28 May, 2023.

Both Vinesh and Bajrang joined the Congress party before the Haryana assembly elections earlier this month. The former contested and won from the Julana constituency, while the latter was made head of the party’s national farmers’ unit.

Before the political plunge, Vinesh endured a heartbreaking sporting low when she was disqualified from the 50kg category final in Paris Olympics for being 100gm overweight.

With PTI inputs