New Delhi: Star wrestler and Congress MLA Vinesh Phogat disagreed with Sakshi Malik's view that her and Bajrang Punia's decision to accept exemption from the Asian Games trials last year undermined their protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Olympic bronze-winning wrestler Sakshi, one of the three prominent faces of the prolonged protest against the former WFI chief, claimed in her recent book that Vinesh and Bajrang's decision made their movement seem "selfish." She also suggested that Phogat and Punia were influenced by certain individuals. Vinesh stated that her sole focus was to seek justice for the female wrestlers who had been allegedly abused.

"That is her personal opinion. I don't agree with that. Unless I am weak, the fight cannot be weak. This is my belief. As long as Sakshi, Vinesh, and Bajrang are alive, the fight cannot be weak," Vinesh told PTI Video.

"Those who want to win should never be weak. They should always choose to fight on the field. To do that, you must be tough and face obstacles. And we are ready to fight."

In her recently released book Witness, Sakshi mentioned that their protest developed cracks when "people close to" Bajrang and Vinesh began to fill their minds with "greed."

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.

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

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

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

"When we were competing, the responsibility of crores of people in the country was on us. Today, I am elected (as MLA) from the Congress party... even now, 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 the 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 lasted for months, ended after the wrestlers' march towards the new Parliament Building was halted by the police on May 28, 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 appointed head of the party's national farmers' unit.

Before her political plunge, Vinesh endured a heartbreaking sporting low when she was disqualified from the 50kg category final at the Paris Olympics for being 100 grams overweight.
(agencies)