Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is facing strong criticism on social media for his tweet about wrestler Vinesh Phogat. In a post on X, Railway Minister Vaishnaw praised Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday after she made history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final. She had defeated Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman 5-0 in semi-final bout.
Vaishnaw shared a clip from her bout on X, saying, "We are surely winning one medal. Go for gold Vinesh Phogat."
Many social media users did not appreciate the Union Minister's tweet cheering for Vinesh. They pointed out that the Minister was silent when the wrestler was protesting against the former president of the Wrestling Federation of India and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, whom she accused of sexual harassment.
Criticising the Railway Minister, one user wrote, "Shame on you…you never posted in support of her when Vinesh Phogat was crying and allegedly sexually harassed by BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh who is protected by the Modi government."
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"Ashwini uncle, now it does not suit you to say this. When she wanted to share her views with your government in a time of trouble, the government got her beaten up, and now you are congratulating her to take the credit. As per the rules, your entire government should apologize to her," wrote another user.
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"Oh, you suddenly remembered her? Remember, your PM did not have the guts to kick Brij Bhushan out; instead, he supported him. Now the shameless are swooping down to grab credit," commented another.
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Disqualification
Vinesh Phogat's dream of winning an Olympic medal was shattered when she was disqualified before the 50kg gold medal match. In an unfortunate turn of events, Phogat was unable to make the weight on the morning of her bout at the Paris Olympics 2024. The Indian Olympic Association confirmed her disqualification, stating that Phogat weighed a few grams over the permissible 50kg limit.
