Ever since the disqualification of star wrestler Vinesh Phogat before her gold medal bout at the Paris Olympics, attempts are being made to politicise the issue in poll-bound Haryana. After Congress and its supporting ecosystem blamed the Modi government for Vinesh’s disqualification for being overweight, the Khap panchayats in Haryana have also made unreasonable demands concerning Vinesh Phogat, including demand for Bharat Ratna.
‘Sarv Khap Mahapanchayat’ in Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri demanded ‘justice’ for Vinesh Phogat, who belongs to the state. The Khap leaders also demanded that a sitting Supreme Court judge should investigate the matter. Khap leader, and Charkhi Dadri MLA, Sombir Sangwan said that the persons who accompanied Vinesh Phogat were responsible for ensuring her weight did not increase, yet she was found overweight during the weigh-in. He questioned how Phogat’s weight increased suddenly.
Furthermore, the Khap leader demanded that Vinesh Phogat be entitled to all benefits of a silver medal winner by the state as well as central government. Moreover, Sangwan said that they will honour Vinesh Phogat with a gold medal and that she should be honoured by the Central government with Bharat Ratna.
#WATCH | Haryana: On Khap Panchayat over wrestler Vinesh Phogat's disqualification from the final event of the Olympics, Charkhi Dadri MLA Sombir Sangwan says, "The main agenda of today's panchayat was to expose the betrayal and deceit experienced by our daughter and ensure she… pic.twitter.com/SPJkFI8C9z
— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2024
“The main agenda of today’s panchayat was to expose the betrayal and deceit experienced by our daughter and ensure she gets justice. The entire khap and her village will honour her… We have seven demands- a sitting SC judge should hold an enquiry into the matter and the accused be punished, second, Vinesh Phogat should be entitled to all benefits of a silver medal winner by the state as well as central government, third, we will honour Vinesh with a gold medal… we will ask Vinesh to reconsider her decision to retire from wrestling, we demand she is honoured with a Bharat Ratna”, Sangwan said.
While Phogat’s disqualification was a heartbreaking moment for the wrestler and for Indian fans, making such unreasonable demands in complete disregard for the rules reflects the blatant politicisation of the incident rather than genuine concern for her. Demanding such benefits for Vinesh Phogat, despite her disqualification, undermines the essence of sportsmanship and fair play. Javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra won a silver medal in the recently concluded Paris Olympics to follow up on his Gold at Tokyo Olympics, no one is demanding a Bharat Ratna for him. Meanwhile, Vinesh despite her best efforts could not achieve the required weight and thus disqualified, is entitled to Silver medal winner benefits and the highest civilian honour?
Wrestler Aman Sehrawat, unlike Vinesh Phogat, was not accompanied by his own training and conditioning staff but only the staff provided by Sports Authority of India (SAI) and yet managed to reduce 4.6 kgs in 10 hours to meet the 57kg weight limit. Sehrawat not only cut his weight to meet the standard but also won his Bronze medal bout.
Several netizens raised questions over the demands presented by the Khap leaders.
One X user said: “Gold medal for weight gain??? She is yet to say sorry to the nation n people want Bharat Ratna for her!!”
Gold medal for weight gain??? She is yet to say sorry to the nation n people want Bharat Ratna for her!!
— Candid_Shweta (@CandidShweta) August 11, 2024
Another one said: “Khap Panchayat should be done in Paris. Aren’t they going to Europe to protest? The Indian Government should send these panchayat leaders to Europe to expose the Olympics. N0nsense….!!
Khap Panchayat should be done in Paris. Aren't they going to Europe to protest?
— kanishka Dadhich 🇮🇳 (@KanishkaDadhich) August 11, 2024
The Indian Government should send these panchayat leaders to Europe to expose the Olympics.
N0nsense….!!
One user Amit said: “Bharat Ratna??? What about Neeraj Chopra? He Won Silver this time. Nobody is asking for him. Why?? This is something bizarre to talk about. Simply a political agenda. In the name of sympathy, they are creating drama now.”
Bharat Ratna??? 😅
— Amit (@AmitMaithil7) August 11, 2024
What about Neeraj Chopra ? He Won Silver this time. Nobody is asking for him . Why ??
This is something bizarre to talk about. Simply a political agenda. In the name of sympathy, they are creating drama now.
Interestingly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has already announced to give Vinesh Phogat benefits equal to those of a silver medallist, which risks eroding the fundamental concepts of justice and merit in sports. Notably, according to its sports policy, the Haryana government grants Rs 6 crore to Olympic gold medallists, Rs 4 crore to silver medallists, and Rs 2.5 crore to bronze medallists.
Such demands not only politicise the situation but also give unfair importance to one athlete over others who may have competed under the same stringent criteria, as seen in the case of Aman Sehrawat. Is only Vinesh Phogat “Bharat ki Beti” not Manu Bhaker, are Aman Sehrawat or Neeraj Chopra not “Bharat ka Beta”? Sports have rules for a reason, and disregarding them to benefit an individual, particularly in response to political pressure, undermines the sport’s credibility. It establishes a precedent in which political influence and populist demands trump athletic achievement and rule adherence. Ironically, Khap leaders are demanding Bharat Ratna for a disqualified wrestler Vinesh Phogat but nothing for those who fought and lost by a whisker.
While the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is yet to rule on Vinesh Phogat’s appeal challenging her disqualification, the politics around the incident reflect the desperation of politicians and their supporters to build a narrative in their favour ahead of the state elections.
Notably, the CAS will decide on Vinesh’s plea on the 13th of August. If the CAS decides in favour of Vinesh Phogat and she is given the silver medal, Congress will claim that despite the Modi government’s ‘conspiracies’, Phogat braved them all, and won silver. If the CAS rejects her plea, the opposition parties will play the “Modi’s ego is more important than the silver medal for India” narrative. In both cases, politics will win. It is apparent that Vinesh Phogat is getting all the political attention solely due to her participation in protests against BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in an alleged sexual harassment case.
Despite it being against the rules, Vinesh Phogat was allowed to contest in qualifiers in both the 50 kg and 53 kg categories. She lost the qualifying match in the 53 kg category but won in 50 kg. Therefore, she had to keep her weight below 50 kg because she qualified for the 50 kg category in the Paris Olympics. However, she was struggling to maintain her weight below the allowed limit for several months now. Her weight was around 2.7 kg above the limit a day before the finals, and despite various efforts, including cutting hair, shortening clothes, and sitting in the sauna, the weight could not be brought below 50 kg. Consequently, she was disqualified. Even though Phogat was disqualified on technical grounds and the ruling government had no role in it but had only backed her, the politics over the matter is not subsiding.
Suppose Vinesh Phogat had not participated in the Wrestlers’ Protests or had taken a pro-BJP stand in the past. In that case, the very opposition leaders making absurd claims and malicious allegations against the Central government would have cried ‘favouritism’ when Phogat was given a double chance.
If the opposition parties and the Khap panchayats are demanding Bharat Ratna for a disqualified sportsperson, they should have long back demanded the same for Javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra who won gold in the Tokyo Olympics and silver in the Paris Olympics. However, since Chopra does not provide any political fuel, no such demands are raised for him.
Vinesh Phogat was disqualified as she was unable to achieve the weight restrictions, which are a crucial criterion in combat sports. The standards are in place to maintain fairness, and her disqualification was due to standard rule enforcement rather than bias.
Demanding prestigious awards and benefits for someone who did not match the minimum eligibility requirements for competition undermines the principles of merit and excellence represented by these accolades. The Bharat Ratna is bestowed for exceptional service and contributions to the nation, and even though Vinesh Phogat has made an unforgettable impact in wrestling, it would be inappropriate to bestow such an honour in the present context.
These demands, which are driven by political motives rather than objective merit, establish a dangerous precedent in which standards and regulations are bent to meet populist demands. This not only reduces the value of such awards but also communicates the message that accountability and responsibility in athletics fall secondary to influence and pressure. It is critical to safeguard the integrity of sports and honours by adhering to the values of fairness, merit, and accountability. If the CAS rules in Vinesh’s favour and gives her the silver medal she has all the right to receive the relevant benefits, however, if this does not happen, the authorities should refrain from providing such benefits and set the right precedent for the future.
