'She has more spine than you': Trolled over post on Vinesh Phogat, MoS Jayant Singh sportingly says ...

RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary had gone to Jantar Mantar and extended his support to the protesting wrestlers.

MoS for Education and RLD leader Jayant Singh Chaudhary has hailed the courage of Vinesh Phogat who became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final of the Olympic Games.

“She exemplifies the adage of courage in the face of adversity! Olympian, champion & now Olympic medal winner for India! All the best Vinesh Phogat,” Chaudhary posted on X. Jayant Singh Chaudhary is also called Jayant Singh.

However, his post met with various trolls. “She is far more courageous and has more spine than you sir,” wrote Prakash Jha, a netizen. In response, Chaudhary said, “Absolutely!”.

She exemplifies the adage of courage in the face of adversity! Olympian, champion & now Olympic medal winner for India!
All the best Vinesh Phogat! #Go4Gold #IndiaAtParis24

— Jayant Singh (@jayantrld) August 6, 2024

In January 2023, Vinesh and her fellow wrestlers including Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, assembled at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. They demanded the arrest of the then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Bris Bhushan Sharan Singh. WFI falls under the ambit of the Sports Ministry. He had been accused by the wrestlers of sexually harassing several female athletes. Police used force to detain the protesting wrestlers. The protest made headlines globally, especially after the police detained the wrestlers when they tried to march to the new Parliament building.

RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary had gone to Jantar Mantar and extended his support to the protesting wrestlers. “No one wants to see our award winners cry,” he had said at the protest site.

The WFI was finally suspended, and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh did not contest in the elections. However, his supporter Sanjay Singh was elected the new president of the WFI. In protest, Vinesh and Bajrang returned their Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards to the government. Veteran wrestler Sakshi Malik announced her retirement.

Meanwhile, in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, former Prime Minister and Jayant’s grandfather Chaudhary Charan Singh was conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.

In a presser held soon after the Bharat Ratna announcement, Jayant Chaudhary said it was a day full of happiness for him as he thanked PM Modi for the award. "I want to thank President (Droupadi Murmu) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji," he said. The BJP's move to confer Bharat Ratna to Chaudhary Charan Singh was being seen as the party's outreach to the Jat community. The RLD is said to have considerable hold on the community.

Chaudhary’s party RLD left the INDA bloc and entered into the BJP-led NDA alliance to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha polls together.

Phogat has been disqualified from the Paris Olympics after she could not make the weight on the morning of her 50 kg gold medal bout.

“It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the Women’s Wrestling 50kg class. Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning. No further comments will be made by the contingent at this time. The Indian team requests you respect Vinesh’s privacy. It would like to focus on the competitions on hand,” an Indian Olympic Association Statement read.