Babita Phogat (L) and Sakshi Malik© X (Twitter)
Taking a dig at Sakshi Malik, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Babita Phogat alleged that she had sold her integrity to sell her book. The counter-statement has been made in response to Sakshi Malik's claim that Babita gathered all the wrestlers to protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) with an aim to take over the position of President. "Shine with your own character. How long will the borrowed light last? Some got assembly seats, some got posts sister, and you did not get anything, I can understand your pain. In order to sell the book, she sold her integrity," Babita Phogat wrote on X.
Earlier, on Tuesday, newly elected Congress MLA from Julana and Olympian Vinesh Phogat also responded to Sakshi Malik's recent comment about her and Bajrang Punia being influenced by certain individuals. Vinesh stated that her sole greed was to get justice for the female wrestlers who had been allegedly abused.
In her newly released book 'Witness', Sakshi Malik said that people close to wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia had started filling their minds with greed.
Bajrang Punia, who was also one of the three main wrestlers during the wrestler's protest, alongside Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik said that it is Phogat's personal view.
Reacting to the statement, Bajrang Punia, "It's her personal view. She was our friend, and she will continue to be so. I can't say anything about what she has said."
Notably, both Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the Congress before the Haryana Assembly elections. Phogat was given a ticket from the Julana constituency while Punia was made head of the party's national farmers unit.
Vinesh Phogat won the Julana Assembly seat in Haryana, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Yogesh Kumar. The former wrestler secured a victory with a margin of 5,761 votes.