Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker meets Bhupinder Hooda: ‘She will come to my home and have aloo paranthas with us’

“She is the first woman athlete who has brought two medals. It has never happened in the history. Before Independence, one such incident had taken place but never after that. She has a bright future. She barely missed her third medal, but I am sure she will work hard for future events. Even before she left for Paris, she had told her grandfather that she would definitely get the medal. Now, she would again go to Paris and come back on August 13. Then she will come to my home and have aloo paranthas with us”, Bhupinder Singh Hooda said.

Talking about Vinesh Phogat, Hooda added, “The Haryana government should honour her at par with a gold medal winner athlete. The government should also thoroughly investigate what happened in Paris due to which she was disqualified. Her morale should be boosted. Had she fought her final match, she would have definitely got the gold medal. If I had adequate numbers, I would have definitely ensured that she was elected to Rajya Sabha. She did not lose. She had won in the Olympics. She is our champion”.

Vinesh Phogat, who became the the first Indian woman to qualify for an Olympic wrestling final, was disqualified ahead of the Paris Olympics wrestling final after failing to make the weight cut by 100 grams during the weigh-in on Wednesday morning. After her disqualification, the 29-year-old announced her retirement from wrestling.

On his part, Deepender Hooda congratulated “our sister Manu Bhaker who brought laurels to our entire nation”. “It is a matter of honour for all of us. Manu and her family members came to meet us and took Bhupinder Hooda ji’s blessings. I am sure she would achieve even more. She is a flag bearer of India for the closing ceremony. She would go to Paris and on her return to India after that, she would come and have aloo paranthas and butter with us,” he added.

On Wednesday, Manu Bhaker met Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence in Delhi soon after coming back from Paris.

Meanwhile, the Haryana government said it would accord a grand welcome to Vinesh Phogat, even as Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced she would be honoured as a medalist.