NEW DELHI: Treading cautiously, BJP on Friday downplayed wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joining Congress and said that in a democracy anyone can join politics.
BJP brass, sources said, was of the view that the case against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was dropped as party's candidate from Kaiserganj LS seat, was sub judice and its merit should not be questioned based on political leanings of the wrestlers even as the two were at forefront of the campaign.
BJP netas recalled that PM Modi gave instructions to IOA officials to take all measures to fight the case against IOC decision to disqualify Phogat from medal race at Paris Olympics as they reasserted that sports & politics shouldn't be "mixed" and that anyone willing to join politics was welcome.
BJP MP Sambit Patra refused to make any direct comment on the wrestlers joining Congress, saying anybody can join any political party in a democratic country.
He further said, "Your question that somewhere or the other they indulged in politics, I would not like to answer. But, yes people, media and intellectuals will ask this question."
Haryana BJP neta Anil Vij, however, took a dig at Vinesh over joining Congress. "Agar woh desh ki beti sey Congress ki beti banna chaahti hai, to hamein kya etraaz hai," he added.
Vij said the Congress was trying to bring these players with them from the very first day and it was due to their instigation that the wrestlers started the movement in Delhi. It was because of their instigation that the (Delhi) protest was going on, otherwise the matter would have settled long before, he said.
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