The Olympian compared his decision to join the BJP like returning home
Political Updates On Newsparviews : Weeks before the Lok Sabha elections, boxer Vijender Singh announced his affiliation with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), dealing another blow to the Congress.
The Olympian had joined the Congress in 2019 and had lost against Ramesh Bidhuri of the BJP in his unsuccessful attempt to win the South Delhi seat in the general elections.
According to sources, the Congress intended to run the 38-year-old against Hema Malini, a BJP MP who has once again been chosen as a contender from the Mathura constituency. It is anticipated that his move to the BJP will aid the party in garnering support among the Jat community, which is particularly crucial in Western UP and Haryana. It is anticipated that the boxer will actively promote the BJP in these two regions.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Mr. Singh became the first boxer from India to earn an Olympic medal—a bronze one. In addition, he took home silver and bronze from the Commonwealth Games in 2006 and 2014, as well as from the 2009 World Championships.
Upon joining the BJP on Wednesday, the boxer stated in Hindi, “For me, this is like a ghar wapsi (homecoming),” in the presence of party General Secretary Vinod Tawde. In 2019, I had run for election. It feels nice to return. It is admirable how athletes are now treated with respect both domestically and internationally. During our previous overseas fight trips, to places like the UK and Dubai, for example, certain incidents would occasionally occur at the airports. However, we can go anyplace with ease now that the BJP and the (Narendra) Modi administration are in charge.”
“I want to express my gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and the BJP for the respect that athletes receive under this government. Being a part of this government would allow me to assist others and guide them in the correct direction. I’ll call a spade a spade because I’m still the same Vijender that I was,” he continued.
In response to accusations of sexual harassment, Vijender Singh last year supported wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia in their protests against BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. After a close ally of the BJP MP won the ensuing WFI elections, Sakshi Malik declared her retirement from wrestling. The boxer referred to this as “a black day in the history of
He had also questioned Indian cricket players’ lack of response to the controversy.
After switching, Mr. Singh told news agency PTI that he had made a “well thought out decision” after getting in touch with the BJP via a mutual friend.
“The BJP was friendly when I contacted them via a mutual friend. The amount of work the federal government has done to support athletes over the past ten years has impressed me. And I reasoned, why not? I believe I can help further the cause, particularly for Haryana-born athletes. I want to contribute to improving things since, after all, this is my home,” he remarked.
When asked if there was any discontent with the Congress that led to this move, the boxer replied, “We’ll talk about that on another day. Yes, I will discuss such topics as well, but not today. I’m starting over, and I would like to do it with a good start.”