Rajdeep Sardesai’s column- Why did the Congress Party bet on Vinesh in Haryana? | राजदीप सरदेसाई का कॉलम: कांग्रेस पार्टी ने हरियाणा में विनेश पर दांव क्यों लगाया?

Rajdeep Sardesai Senior Journalist

This is a new scene in the male-dominated politics of Haryana. In a hall full of burly Jat men, a woman is the center of everyone’s attention. Olympic wrestler turned politician Vinesh Phogat also knows her ‘star value’. They made the large crowd wait for a few hours in the autumn sunshine, but no one seemed too concerned about it.

From elders to enthusiastic teenagers, everyone wanted to have a glimpse of Haryana’s latest ‘icon’. Someone ties a traditional turban on his head, a sarpanch wants to gift him a silver mace, others stand in queue for selfies. With a short speech, a triumphant smile and a wave to the audience, Vinesh leaves for her next rally. His journey from wrestling field to political riot has been very agile!

At the Paris Olympics, Vinesh created a sensation by defeating defending champion Yui Susaki, but was controversially disqualified before the final for being ‘overweight’. The wheat and mustard fields of Julana in Haryana’s Jind district are a far cry from the bright lights of Paris, but the battle here is no less challenging.

Congress has not won this seat for the last 15 years. In fact, so far no woman has contested elections from a mainstream party here. A dozen candidates from different parties are in the fray in this Jat-dominated constituency. If Vinesh wins, she will be the first woman MLA from Julana.

Congress’s decision to field Vinesh has given her another ‘talking-point’. In recent years, most of the celebrities have opted to join the BJP. The stars shine brighter when they are on the winning side and the BJP has been a dominant force in Haryana politics for the last decade and beyond.

Last year, street protests by Olympic wrestlers against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh accusing him of sexual harassment were seen as a challenge to the ruling establishment. Perhaps this is the reason why today Vinesh is presented as an anti-establishment heroine.

After spending 10 years in power in Haryana, BJP is also facing anti-government wave. But the winds of change need charismatic personalities to represent popular sentiment. So has Congress found its mascot?

But outside Haryana, people’s opinion about Vinesh is divided. The BJP’s social media army regularly targets her, questioning her commitment to sports and accusing her of using the protests as a stepping stone to her political career.

He did not win a medal in Paris. Shouldn’t they accept their failure to stay in the prescribed weight category, rather than blaming it on someone else? Vinesh’s life story has been made more interesting by her dramatic exit from the competition at the last minute.

A big film like ‘Dangal’ charted the dramatic rise of the Phogat family, but politics can be harsher than sports and celluloid. By choosing a political career, Vinesh has given up her dream of climbing the Olympic podium.

Men always remain on the first position in the royal society of Haryana. This is a state that has elected only 87 women MLAs since 1966. Ask former Union minister Kumari Shailaja, who finds herself marginalized despite her closeness to the high command. Or Kiran Chaudhary, who was always seen as Bansi Lal’s ‘daughter-in-law’ but was never considered his successor. Or the late Sushma Swaraj, who could have become a leading BJP leader at the Center but struggled to reach the top in her home state.

This is why Vinesh’s arrival on the political stage shows that the wind of change is blowing. The confidence with which Manu Bhaker, who won two medals in Paris, approaches media events shows that generational change is coming out of traditional stereotypes. If Vinesh becomes the first woman MLA from Julana, she can prove to be an example for Haryanvi women. (These are the author’s own views)