BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma hits out at Vinesh Phogat

Jind: In a scathing attack on Vinesh Phogat, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma on Saturday said the wrestler-turned politician might have won the election from the Julana assembly constituency, but no athlete would have "actually voted for her".
"When wrestlers were protesting on the streets, it was already clear that Vinesh Phogat was planning to join the Congress, and preparations for the same were underway through the protest. Vinesh may have won the Julana seat, but I don't think any athlete actually voted for her," said Sharma.
"The athletes did not support her after her decision to join politics. The Congress supported Vinesh Phogat and that's why the Congress lost. People knew why this drama was being created," she said.
Sharma was in Jind district to attend a programme.
Asked about Vinesh seeking a plot and cash reward from the state govt despite being disqualified from the Paris Olympic Games, the parliamentarian said the former was both a politician and an athlete and her contribution could not be ignored. "That's why the BJP has always honoured athletes. We respect and honour Vinesh Phogat as a sportsperson, regardless of the fact that she is now with the Congress," she said.
"The BJP has given her all the respect she deserves as an athlete. The Congress party should learn from the BJP how athletes should be treated with dignity," said Sharma.
Speaking on the issue of the state govt overlooking the sportspersons, who have been running from pillar to post to get their respect and proper recognition, the Rajya Sabha MP said the BJP govt would surely consider the cases of those athletes who had been ignored for some reasons. There will be no discrimination against other sportspersons, she added.
Sharma said Vinesh might have forgotten, but she had called her as the head of the National Women Commission. But Vinesh never wanted to sit across the table and talk. When athletes were protesting on the streets, they were invited for talks. However, their intentions were political.
Taking a dig at the opposition, Sharma said the Congress was not even able to listen to its own leaders, nor was it able to manage itself. There is a lot of disorder in the Congress. First, they should resolve their own internal issues. The Congress party in Haryana is a fractured unit. We fear that the Congress might not even remain as the main opposition party in the country in future, she added.
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