New Delhi: International wrestler Babita Phogat and her father Mahavir Phogat, a noted wrestling coach, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Monday.
Both Babita Phogat and her father Mahavir were inducted into the saffron party in the presence of Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, BJP’s general secretary in charge of Haryana Anil Jain and its state chief Subhash Barala.
Lauding the father-daughter duo, Rijiju said Babita Phogat has brought laurels to the country by bagging medals at several international events. Her father is also an exemplary person for coaching his daughters and making them internationally acclaimed wrestlers.
The BJP said that that the induction of Phogats into the party will help it politically in the poll-bound Haryana. The Assembly elections are due in the state later this year.
The Phogat household came to be known nationwide following the success of Hindi film ‘Dangal’, which is loosely based on the lives of Phogat sisters, all of them wrestlers, and their father who coached them against all odds.
Babita, an Arjuna Awardee, had come out in support of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar after he allegedly made a sexist remark on Kashmiri women, and said that there was nothing offensive in what he said.
“Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has not made any such statement that is offensive to our sisters and daughters. I urge the media to not misinterpret his statement,” she had said on Twitter.
Interestingly, in the past there have been instances when she spoke against Haryana government’s policies, especially with regards to monetary facilities for the athletes from the state.
Agencies