"..Only 'Crime' Was To Meet Rahul Gandhi": Congress' Venugopal Slams Indian Railways For Serving Showcause Notice To Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal on Friday hit out at the Indian Railways for allegedly issuing a showcause notice to Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia for meeting Rahul Gandhi and asking their political stance.

The wrestlers resigned from their respective positions in Northern Railways earlier in the day hours before joining the Congress party.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Venugopal critised the Railways asking them to not do politics and demanded completion of formalities to relieve Vinesh Phogat.

"This is very surprising. Vinesh got a ‘show cause’ notice from the Railway authorities on WhatsApp after she resigned from her post. What was the reason behind this? This happened after yesterday a photo of Vinesh and Bajrang came out standing with the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi which was amplified by newspapers and television channels. Is it a crime to stand with the LoP?," said Venugopal during the induction ceremony of Vinesh and Bajrang Punia into the Congress party.

Amid high speculations, Punia and Phogat joined the party in the presence of the Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, party leader Pawan Khera, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan and AICC in-charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria. Earlier in the day, they met Congress president Mallikaarjun Kharge.

What Did Vinesh Phogat say in her resignation?

Ahead of her move to Congress party the former wrestler had shared the screenshot of her resignation on her social media account. She was employed as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) with Northern Railways.

In her letter to the general manager of Northern Railways, Vinesh Phogat wrote "It is requested that I, Vinesh, w/o Sh. Somvir Rathi at present is working as OSD/Sports Northern - Railway in Level - 7,"

"Sir, keeping in view of my family circumstances/personal reasons, I am unable to perform my duties as OSD/sports. Therefore without any pressure, I wish to tender my resignation,"

She captione the post, "At this point in my life, I have decided to separate myself from the railway service and have submitted my resignation to the competent authorities of the Indian Railways. I will always be grateful to the Indian Railway family for this opportunity given to me by the Railways in the service of the nation." 

Vinesh Phogat reaction to joining Congress

On joining Congress, Vinesh Phogat says, "I thank Congress party...Kehte hain na ki bure time mein pata lagta hai ki apna kaun hai...When we were being dragged on the road, all parties except BJP were with us. I feel proud that I have joined a party which stands with women and is ready to fight from 'sadak to sansad'..."

Bajrang Punia won bronze at the Tokyo Games in 2020, while Vinesh Phogat became the first woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final this year in Paris.

Experiencing a heartbreaking in Paris over being disqualified for being overweight by about 100 gm in her 50-kg category weigh-in, Phogat shocked everyone with her retirement announcement from wrestling.

Phogat and Punia actively took part in protests by wrestlers over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh last year. Their entry into the Congress is seen as a shot in the arm for the party ahead of polling for 90-member Haryana Assembly scheduled for October 5 with results being declared on October 8.

Published on: Friday, September 06, 2024, 03:45 PM IST