Divya Kakran row: BJP attacks Delhi government, says asking proof of state insult to athlete

New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday took on the Delhi government over CWG medllist Divya Kakran row, saying that the players represent the country under one flag and to divide them into regions or states and to ask proof of the states the player represents was not only an insult to athletes but also the tricolour.

"It's an insult to athletes, the youth and the Tricolour. Whether it's a stadium or a battlefield, people fight for the glory of the Tiranga. Asking (wrestler) Divya Kakran where she is from is an insult to the athlete. CM Kejriwal did not even deign to disavow Saurabh Bharadwaj," said BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla.

Shri @Shehzad_Ind addresses a press conference at party headquarters in New Delhi. https://t.co/y6gh83pUz0

— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) August 11, 2022

Kakran, who bagged a bronze medal in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, tweeted on Tuesday that she played for Delhi from 2011 to 2017. Kakran was responding to Aam Aadmi Party national spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj’s comment on Sunday that she had not played for Delhi and had represented Uttar Pradesh.

Lashing out at AAP leader and chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj for doubting Kakran's claims and humiliating her, the BJP spokesperson demanded that the leader be sacked.

He said this was the same modus operandi of the Aam Aadmi Party when they asked for proof of surgical strikes in Pakistan and today they are asking proof from a player who has brought laurels to the country.

In her tweet on Tuesday, Kakran said, “I played for Delhi from 2011 to 2017. Here’s the certificate from Delhi State! If you still don’t believe this, should I upload certificates of 17 golds from Delhi State”.

2011 se 2017 tak me delhi se khelti thi ye raha certificate delhi sate ka ! Ager apko abhi bhi yakin nahi to delhi sate se 17 Gold h mere vo certificate bhi upload karu https://t.co/0PXYp7NWR0 pic.twitter.com/H7dwTWsSx7 — Divya kakran (@DivyaWrestler) August 9, 2022

She uploaded a picture of a certificate from the Wrestling Federation of India from June 2019, which stated that she represented Delhi in freestyle and Greco Roman style, and the 19th Female Senior National Wrestling Championship held at Nandini Nagar, Gonda, Uttar Pradesh from October 23 to 25, 2016, in the 63-kg weight category.

On Sunday, Kakran had taken to Twitter saying that she had received any help from the Delhi government though she has been living in the city for 20 years and has been training here.

“I thank the honourable Chief Minister from the bottom of my heart for congratulating me. I have been living in Delhi for the past 20 years and have been training here but till now I have not been awarded any money or received any help from the State government. It is my request that you honour me the way you honour players from Delhi who represent other States,” she tweeted in response to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's congratulatory message for her latest win.

In response to her tweet on Sunday, Bharadwaj had said that she has always represented Uttar Pradesh and he does not remember her having played for Delhi. He went on to post pictures of news articles which said that Kakran represents Uttar Pradesh.

हो सकता है मैं ग़लत हूँ बहन, मगर मैंने ढूँढा तो पाया कि आप दिल्ली राज्य की तरफ़ से नहीं , हमेशा उत्तर प्रदेश की तरफ़ से खेलती रही है। आज पूरे देश को आप पर नाज़ है । ईश्वर से प्रार्थना है कि आप और आगे बढ़ें। pic.twitter.com/PZXFPXjRFB — Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) August 7, 2022

In 2018, after she bagged the bronze medal in the Asian Games, Kakran had raised a similar issue and said that she did not get support while training. Kakran has won a gold medal in the 2020 Asian Wrestling Championship. In the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Kakran won the bronze in the 68-kg category.

An official Delhi government response issued on Sunday said, “The Delhi government respects all sportspersons in the country and wishes for a bright future for them. Divya Kakran plays for Uttar Pradesh at the moment. If she has played on behalf of Delhi, or has been part of any sports scheme in Delhi or has applied for any such scheme, the state government will certainly look into what she has said.”

With inputs from agencies

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