They met, fought for each other, but are now fighting each other. The dangal for Julana in Jind district of Haryana has taken an interesting turn with two wrestlers – Kavita Dalal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Vinesh Phogat of the Congress, fighting for this prestigious seat.
The two wrestlers had last met at Jantar Mantar when the protests against former president of Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Singh had gained momentum. At that point, Kavita Dalal sat with Vinesh Phogat in support of her and the cause that the now Congress candidate was fighting for – the sexual misconduct allegations against Bhushan, the former MP of the BJP.
But with the breakup of the AAP and Congress relations and the latter pitching Vinesh, the former has fielded Kavita, who has also been a part of the Wrestling Federation and a wrestler herself.
Vinesh Politicising Wrestling: Kavita
When News18 caught up with the two of them on the campaign trail ahead of the Haryana Assembly Elections 2024, Kavita made a huge accusation against Vinesh Phogat. “Everyone knows that I have always supported her and as a woman, I would wish her well, but at some point of time, both Vinesh Phogat and Congress have politicised the entire issue and are now using wrestling as a political issue to try and win elections. I’m sure that the people of Julana will see through this and I shall win from here,” Kavita said.
For AAP, putting up Kavita Dalal against Vinesh is a clear cut message to the Congress – no shadow boxing. Kavita Dalal echoed it, “When Congress was in power in Haryana, they did nothing for the people here and nor has the BJP. We will. As a woman, I support Vinesh, but I will fight and defeat her.”
I’m no Aishwarya Rai: Vinesh
Vinesh Phogat on the other hand has been walking and campaigning with total confidence. Not wishing to speak about Brij Bhushan Singh, she asked why give him that much importance. But on Kavita Dalal, she said, “I am always ready for a fight. I can’t stop anyone from entering the wrestling field, can I? Let her come. She was with me at Jantar Mantar, but I am ready to take her on here.”
Both Vinesh and Kavita belong to sects of Jat, which is the dominant caste in Julana Assembly. The seat is held by the JJP, but the Congress is hoping to unseat them with the high profile candidature of Vinesh Phogat.
The transition of Vinesh from a firebrand wrestler to a neta has been smooth. She has learnt to quickly pick the ropes of the trade and is confident in fending off uncomfortable questions. To those say she was chosen for her name and that she has politicised the issue, Vinesh retorts, “I am no Aishwarya Rai. I am chosen for my work and my work will show the result.”
By choosing Vinesh Phogat as a candidate, the Congress wants her to play many roles. First as a wrestler, the Congress hopes to tap in on the growing tribe of wrestlers and youth who are seeing this sport bring laurel to the country. As a woman, the Congress is painting her as a poster girl of women empowerment in a state where women have had to fight hard for their rights, and at the national level, to take on the BJP for being anti-women.
All eyes are now on the Julana political ring, where polling will take place on October 5.
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