Haryana elections in sight, wrestlers Mahavir and Babita Phogat join BJP

PTI, Aug 12, 2019, 2:10 PM IST

Chandigarh: Wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and his medal-winning daughter Babita Phogat, who inspired the Bollywood film ‘Dangal’, will join the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday.

Mahavir Phogat, who was chief of the Jannayak Janata Party’s sports cell, will switch sides from the JJP, which was floated last year by former Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala following a vertical split in the Indian National Lok Dal.

The development comes barely two months before the Haryana Assembly polls.

Asked the reasons for joining the BJP, Mahavir Phogat said, We are impressed with policies and programmes of the Narendra Modi government.

He praised the Modi government’s decision to revoke provisions of Article 370, terming it as a correct decision.

“Scrapping Article 370 and several other decisions taken in national interest by the Central government have impressed me and millions of countrymen like me. We will be joining the BJP at a function in the national capital on Monday, Mahavir Phogat, a Dronacharya awardee, told PTI over phone.

He was also all praise for the M L Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana, saying it had provided jobs to the youths in a fair and transparent manner.

Residents of Balali village near Bhiwani in Haryana, ace wrestler sisters Babita, Geeta and their father Mahavir Phogat’s life inspired the Aamir Khan starrer ‘Dangal’.

After the Modi government’s decision on Article 370, Babita Phogat had taken to Twitter to heap praise on the BJP leadership.

This day will always be remembered. Salute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Jai Hind, she had tweeted.

Babita had also defended Khattar after he courted a controversy on his “brides from Kashmir” remarks.

Manohar Lal Khattar ji has not made any such statement which portrays women wrongly and I urge the media not to distort his statement.., she had said in a tweet.