After Gautam Gambhir, the next big Indian sportsperson to join the Bharatiya Janata Party is Commonwealth Games medal-winning wrestler Babita Phogat. She along with her father Mahavir Singh Phogat will join the political party.
After inspiring the Bollywood film, 'Dangal', the Phogat duo will be aiming to inspire the masses!
The latest development comes just two months before the Haryana Assembly polls. On joining the party, Babita tweeted, "Today I am making a new beginning in politics by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party! I also urge you to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party and strengthen the hands of the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi."
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Mahavir was earlier chief of Jannayak Janata Party's sports cell. He will switch sides from JJP, it was floated last year by former Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala following a vertical split in the Indian National Lok Dal.
Explaining as to why they are joining BJP, Mahavir said, "We are impressed with policies and programmes of the Narendra Modi government”.
He also praised the Modi government's decision to revoke provisions of Article 370, branding it as a good 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.
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Mahavir, Babita and his other daughter Geeta reside in Haryana's Balali village.
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 Manohar Lal Khattar after he courted 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.
Babita is a 29-year-old wrestler of international fame and will be a huge boost to BJP, due to her fan following in her home state. She has also won gold medals in Commonwealth Games, and also has a World Championships medal.
(ANI and PTI inputs)
