Rahul Gandhi Meets Bajrang Punia, Other Wrestlers in Haryana Akhara Amid WFI Row

Bajrang Punia said that Rahul Gandhi not only observed the routine of the wrestlers, but also wrestled with them.

Jhajjar: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with wrestler Bajrang Punia and other wrestlers at Chhara village, in Jhajjar district, Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023.

(Photo: PTI)

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, 27 December, interacted with Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and other prominent wrestlers at a gathering in Haryana's Jhajjar district.

The interaction comes amid a spree of wrestlers returning their honours over the results of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) election, which saw the elevation of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's aide Sanjay Singh to the top post. The WFI has since been suspended by the Union Sports Ministry.

Deepak Punia, gold medallist in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, was also present during the interaction with Gandhi.

The meeting took place at the Virendra Akhara in the Chhara village, from where both Bajrang and Deepak hail.

Bajrang Punia said that Gandhi visited the arena to observe the exercising routine of wrestlers on a day-to-day basis. "He came to see how the daily life of a wrestler goes. He wrestled and exercised with me. He also made videos of his visit to the arena," Punia told India Today.

Meanwhile, wrestling coach Virendra Arya said that it was a surprise visit and nobody knew that Gandhi would be coming.

"Nobody told us that he's coming. We were practicing here and he came all of a sudden. He reached here around 6:15 AM. He did exercise with us and then he told us about his exercise and sport," Arya told news agency ANI.