Vinesh Phogat vs WFI: Why politicisation of ongoing drama doesn't help anyone, hurts Indian wrestling

Vinesh Phogat has been at loggerheads with the Wrestling Federation of India since 2023, when she was one of the leading figures in the Wrestlers' Protest against then-WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple female wrestlers. More than three years have passed since that sit-in protest that began at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and later spread to other parts of the National Capital and the the country, but Vinesh and WFI continue to wrestle each other off the mat.

Vinesh, after all, had announced her decision to come out of retirement in December, more than a year after quitting the sport following her heartbreaking exit from the 2024 Paris Olympics. The two-time World Championships bronze medallist was scheduled to make her comeback at the National Open Ranking Tournament that currently is underway in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh.

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The WFI, however, informed her last minute that she isn't eligible to compete in any tournament until 26 June, citing a six-month notice period for athletes coming out of retirement under anti-doping laws. The national federation also issued a 15-page show-cause notice to the ace wrestler at the same time, demanding an explanation for various instances of alleged anti-doping and disciplinary violations.

Vinesh allegedly labeled member of 'Tukde Tukde Gang'

The drama has since escalated with Vinesh turning up in Gonda defying the WFI, insisting she's eligible to compete contrary to the show-cause notice. Where the drama took an ugly turn, however, was when WFI president Sanjay Singh allegedly labelled Vinesh a member of the 'Tukde-Tukde Gang’ – a term that had originated from the anti-government protests at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2016 but is used by politicians to describe members of the opposition and the dissidents.

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"I have represented the country. I have competed at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and World Championships. You are calling me ‘Tukde Tukde gang’. Have you seen your language? Do you think I am safe there? Maybe in his language I am a terrorist. Maybe even a Khalistani. But I am a respected citizen of this country and I have the right to fight," Vinesh told reporters in Gonda on Monday, claiming that WFI was attempting to force her to stay away from wrestling.

The political side to Vinesh vs WFI saga

The Vinesh vs WFI saga has had political undertones since the 2023 Protest. Brij Bhushan, after all, is also an influential politician with the Bharatiya Janata Party, having been a six-time Member of Parliament with the party that has been in power at the Centre for over a decade now.

The movement also got political after senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Aam Aadmi Party supremo and then-Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the protesting wrestlers, which gave Brij Bhushan and his loyalists the opportunity to label the movement a conspiracy by the opposition a year before the General Elections.

And while 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik stayed away from politics, Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and Vinesh had joined Congress a month after the Paris Games with the latter successfully contesting the Haryana assembly elections later that year from the Julana constituency.

Vinesh Phogat was among the faces of the 2023 Wrestlers' Protest in New Delhi alongside Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik. Reuters

It was thus natural for the latest showdown between Vinesh and the WFI to be viewed from the political lens, especially since the national federation is currently led by Sanjay – who is a firm Brij Bhushan loyalist and has allowed him to continue wielding his influence on Indian wrestling despite no longer officially heading it.

However, it's also worth remembering that there's an Olympic medal on the line at the end of the ongoing dispute. Vinesh, after all, had stunned reigning world and Olympic champion Yui Susaki en route to storming into the final, and would have been a favourite for gold had it not been for her being overweight by a matter of 100 grams on the day of the final.

And while the WFI has every right to enforce disciplinary measures and ensure that athletes compete within rules and regulations, politically charged comments like the one Sanjay allegedly made recently only serves to hurt the cause of Indian wrestling on the longer run.