Gurugram: Roughly three days before Indian wrestlers enter the fray at the ongoing Asian Games being held at Hangzhou, China, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar Sunday virtually questioned award-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia’s selection in the team, saying those who weren’t chosen through trials don’t deserve to be in the squad.
Punia was given direct entry to the team in the men’s freestyle wrestling in 65 kg weight category by the Indian Olympic Association-appointed ad hoc committee overseeing the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) office. The decision has created angst in Haryana, with the Akhil Bhartiya Kaliraman Khap throwing in their weight behind wrestler and clan member, Vishal Kaliraman, who had qualified in the trials, but was put in stand-by post by Punia’s selection.
By taking a dig at Punia’s selection, the Haryana CM too has now thrown in his weight behind Vishal.
Talking to the media in Sonipat Sunday, Khattar said Vishal was a “honhaar (promising or talented) wrestler”, who had won all his matches during the Asian Games trials to qualify for the squad in the 65 kg category and therefore deserved to represent the country in the games.
“If the need arises, we will set up a committee and will also speak to the selection committee,” said Khattar.
The CM was addressing the media on the performance of sportspeople from Haryana thus far in the ongoing Asian Games, when he was questioned about the Punia-Vishal row, and the challenge thrown by the Kaliraman Khap to Punia to engage in a bout with Vishal and defeat him, if he considered himself worthy to represent India.
Khattar claimed that sportspeople from Haryana had brought in nearly one-third of total medals won by the country in international events in the recent past.
The Haryana CM’s support for Vishal comes within days of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of Parliament (MP) and former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh saying he didn’t “have much hope of medals from the wrestling team that has gone to China to participate in the 19th Asian Games”.
Singh, who is facing criminal proceedings for alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers and is out on bail, had cited the months-long protest against him by wrestlers — demanding his removal from the post of WFI president and arrest — as reason for insufficient preparation.
“Due to the agitation of some wrestlers in Delhi, neither any camp was held nor were any competitions possible at the national level,” Singh had said while interacting with the media in Rohtak, Haryana, last week.
Punia and Vinesh Phogat, both of who had got direct entry to the Asian Games squad, were among those who spearheaded the protest against Singh.
While Phogat later withdrew from the championship, Punia responded to the challenge thrown by the Kaliraman Khap saying that he was willing to fight Vishal, but would do so after the Asian Games.
Commenting on this, Singh said, “Now, he (Punia) says he will accept the challenge thrown by Vishal’s supporters after returning from the Asian Games. Who will pay him any money once the games are over? If he had confidence in his strength, he should have accepted the challenge before going to Hangzhou.”
The ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou started on 23 September and is scheduled to continue till 8 October. The wrestling events are to start from 4 October.
The Punia-Vishal row
In July, Vishal, a 23-year-old wrestler from Sisai village in Haryana’s Hisar district, won the Asian Games trials for the men’s freestyle wrestling in the 65 kg weight category.
Sisai has in the past produced the legendary wrestler Master Chandgi Ram, also from the the Kaliraman gotra (clan).
However, the ad-hoc selection committee gave direct entry to Punia in this category, putting Vishal in stand-by post.
The committee had also given award-winning wrestler Vinesh Phogat direct entry in the women’s 53 kg category, pushing Antim Panghal, who had won the trials in that category to stand-by position.
The decision was reportedly taken without the consent of the national chief coaches.
According to media reports, while WFI guidelines call for mandatory trials in all weight categories, the selection committee has the power to make discretionary selections of those who are Olympic or World Championship medallists without trials, based on the recommendation of chief coaches or foreign experts. No such recommendation was, however, reportedly made in Punia or Phogat’s case, though they satisfy the medallists criteria.
The Kaliraman Khap has claimed that when a player is given direct entry in any category, trials are not held for it. But in this case, trials were held and Vishal qualified, but Punia was chosen to represent the country instead.
While Phogat has since withdrawn from the championship citing injury, the Kaliraman Khap has thrown its weight behind Vishal. The Khap held several meetings with other Khap Panchayats (kangaroo courts) to persuade Punia to withdraw.
When that failed to produce any result, the Kaliraman Khap threw a challenge to Punia to defeat Vishal if he considered himself a better wrestler than the latter.
While initially, the awards announced for the winner included Rs. 27 lakh in cash, a car and a buffalo, the amount has since gone up.
Responding to the challenge on social media platform X (previously Twitter), Punia said we will only engage with Vishal after returning from the Asian Games.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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