Bajrang Punia also resigned from Indian Railways on Friday. In his resignation letter, Punia expressed gratitude to Northern Railways for their guidance since he joined on 13th September 2014.He thanked his colleagues and requested to be relieved from his position as OSD Sports, citing personal reasons and circumstances at home.Top Congress leaders, including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, have extended support to Phogat after she was disqualified in the final rounds of the Paris Olympics, said Venugopal.Addressing the media, Punia said the BJP IT cell celebrated when Phogat was disqualified from the Olympics. “Though we wrote to the BJP members, they did not join us in the protest against Brij Bhushan, “ he said.”I could have quit wrestling at Jantar Mantar because the BJP’s IT cell was publicising that we were spent forces. They said I did not want to play in the nationals but I did; they said I did not want to do trials, I did that…They said I could not go to the Olympics but I did… Unfortunately, it was not god’s will,” she said.”I have been given an opportunity to serve the people of my country, this is a new inning. What we faced as a sportsperson, I would not want any other sportsperson to go through that,” she said.Though the party is yet to clarify, speculation is rife that Congress may field Phogat from Julana or her home turf Charkhi Dadri. When asked about her choice, Phogat said, “One is my janma bhoomi, and the other karma bhoomi”.The political plunge of the two Olympians will be a big boost for the grand old party as both enjoy huge support among farmers and young voters in the state. Last week, Phogat joined the protesting farmers at the Shambhu border, demanding a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP), which entered its 200th day.The Congress is also hoping that the induction of the players will be a game-changer for the party at a time when the BJP is facing rebellion among its ranks after the release of the first list of candidates for the upcoming polls. As many as six leaders including state ministers have quit the party for not getting tickets.(With input from agencies)
Source link