In a recent political move, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sharing a video of wrestler Vinesh Phogat returning her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards. Phogat had left the awards at Kartavya Path after being prevented by the police from reaching the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Gandhi’s statement, posted on X (formerly Twitter), expressed concern over the treatment Phogat received, stating, “The Prime Minister is the guardian of the nation, and it hurts to see such cruelty on his part.”
Phogat, an Asian Games gold medallist, explained her decision to return the awards in a letter to PM Modi. She highlighted the awards’ diminishing significance amid challenges faced by wrestlers seeking justice, emphasizing that their lives aren’t reflected in “fancy government advertisements” on women’s empowerment.
The video shared by Gandhi showed Phogat walking down Kartavya Path with her awards, encountering resistance from a police personnel.
Gandhi questioned the priorities, asking, “Today, has the cost of ‘political gains’ derived from a ghoshit baahubali (declared ‘strongman’) become greater than the tears of these brave daughters?”
Phogat, along with Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, protested against the election of Sanjay Singh as the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The Sports Ministry suspended the newly-elected panel for non-compliance with its constitution, leading the Indian Olympic Association to form an ad hoc committee.
