'Are We Traitors, PM Modi?' Vinesh Phogat writes to Prime Minister, announces to return Khel Ratna and Arjun Award

After wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, now Vinesh Phogat has also made a big announcement. Vinesh has written an open letter to PM Modi and announced to return the Arjuna Award and Khel Ratna.

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Vinesh Phogat has posted on microblogging site X on Tuesday (December 26), and said that her Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award no longer mean anything to her, she wishes to return the medals to him.

मैं अपना मेजर ध्यानचंद खेल रत्न और अर्जुन अवार्ड वापस कर रही हूँ।

इस हालत में पहुँचाने के लिए ताकतवर का बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद 🙏 pic.twitter.com/KlhJzDPu9D

— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) December 26, 2023

Vinesh wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that, "Every woman wants to live with dignity. That is why, Mr Prime Minister, I wish to return my Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to you – so that these prizes do not burden us on our path to living with dignity,"

In this letter, Vinesh further wrote, "I remember the year 2016, when won an Olympic medal and the government made her the brand ambassador of 'beti bachao, beti padhao' . Now that has had to quit wrestling, I am constantly reminded of the year 2016. Are we women athletes only fit to be published on the government's advertisements?"

The Indian Wrestling Association elections were held on 21 December, in this Sanjay Singh was elected president. After this, Sakshi Malik retired from wrestling saying that what to do if someone like Brij Bhushan is selected again? Apart from her, Bajrang Punia also returned the Padma Shri and now Vinesh Phogat has returned her Khel Ratna. Para athlete Virendra Singh has also talked about returning his Padma Shri.

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Saying that the lives of women athletes differed from how the government's posters depicted them to be, Vinesh Phogat asked the prime minister to "take out just five minutes of life" to listen to statements made in the media by "the exploiter", a reference to Brij Bhushan.

"He has likened women wrestlers to 'Manthra' , has openly confessed on TV to making women wrestlers uncomfortable and has never given up an opportunity to humiliate women athletes. What is more serious is how many women wrestlers he has forced out. This is very appalling," she wrote, adding to say that wrestlers were hailed for winning medals but called traitors to the nation for raising their voices.