Vinesh Phogat, the star Indian wrestler, met Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda at his residence on Friday (August 23). As soon as the picture of their meeting surfaced on social media, suggesting that the Indian grappler could join Congress days after an IANS report suggested that she could contest in the upcoming Haryana Assembly Polls. Notably, there Vidhan Sabha Elections in Haryana is scheduled to be held on Ocyober 1.


And now a big statement made by Hooda, who is currently the leader of the opposition in Haryana Legislative Assembly, has made a big statement regarding the wrestler. During an interaction with news agency ANI, Hooda said:  "It is a hypothetical question. But athletes do not belong to one party alone, they are of the entire country. If anyone joins the party, you will get to know...We welcome whoever joins the party...but it is a hypothetical question. It depends on her. Today, she has faced injustice. She should be given her due honour. She should be nominated to Rajya Sabha."






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Vinesh Phogat Should Be Nominated To Rajya Sabha Like Sachin Tendulkar: Hooda


"...I had said that she should be given the same honour which is given to a Gold medal winner. She was not given that. The Government announced a Silver medal honour for her. I had said that just like Sachin Tendulkar was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, she should be nominated as well. Injustice has been done to her, she was not given justice," the former Haryana CM stated.


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While Vinesh Phogat's meeting with Bhupinder Hooda may have sparked speculations of the wrestler joining Congress, there is no official confirmation regarding the same. The 29-year-old athlete's fairytale run-up to the final in the Women's 50 Kg Freestyle wrestling and her subsequent disqualification ahead of the gold medal bout because of being 100 grams overweight became one of the biggest stories of Paris Olympics 2024.


While Vinesh had challenged the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), her plea was dismissed.