Politics should be kept away from sports, says Robert Vadra over AAP row

Robert Vadra reacting to the row over Delhi AAP denying a cash reward to wrestler Divya Kakran who won a bronze medal in CWG 2022, said that politics should not be brought into sports

Robert Vadra, husband of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, reacting to the row over the Delhi Aam Aadmi Party denying a cash reward to wrestler Divya Kakran who won a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games 2022, said that politics should not be brought into sports.

Vadra added that the sportspersons should be helped and it's not that the Delhi government has to help "only sportspersons from Delhi".

Speaking to ANI, Vadra said, "I think we should be proud of them as Indian holistically and we should help them. It's not that the Delhi government has to help only Delhi sportspersons."

His remarks came after AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday said the Delhi government cannot give cash rewards to bronze medal winner Divya Kakran as she represents Uttar Pradesh.

Reacting to his statement, Vadra said, "What other political party has just said that the person who just won medal who is 23-year-old and then they said that I am not sure that you represented Delhi. We should not bring politics into sports."

Vadra said that he and Rahul Gandhi encourages youth to get into sports to prevent them from deviating from the path to "anything that may be wrong".

"We encourage a lot of the youth to get into the sports background so that they don't get into any anything that is wrong, maybe substance, If they don't have a job, they do something wrong with their body, but if they have a sport in mind, they have self-discipline, they have self-confidence, and they will find some job. They will get some opportunity because they believe in themselves. I have been invited to a lot of dangals, I am also going on 18th of August to Faridabad. I try to help them out whenever I can and whenever I can support them," he said.

Robert Vadra on Thursday met and honoured Gurdeep Singh who won a Bronze medal in Commonwealth Game 2022.

On this, Vadra said that it was a proud moment for him to meet an athlete who made the country proud.

"There is no better way to get exposure than to do something in sports because it is not for any other reason but the individual's efforts and struggle that can take you ahead," he said.

Vadra urged the state governments across the country to help the sportspersons.

"I sincerely think that government should help sports people from the sports background because if they come to this point they can only come thereafter lot of effort, a lot of struggle. They do everything themselves day and night. They have to stay away also from their colleges, studies and their families. Then they win the medal," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said that Kakran only lives in Delhi and only played for it till 2016-17.

"As for respect, CM called her in 2018 respectfully. We can't give her cash rewards as she represents UP but we have always respected her," said AAP MLA over allegations by Divya.

Addressing a press conference, Kakran said, "I moved to Delhi in 2001 and in 2006, I started practising wrestling. I am putting up in Gokalpur for the last 22 years. My father somehow managed to provide me with training for wrestling. I earned money by competing with boys but the Delhi government did not provide any assistance. I went to UP only when our family, suffered and cried a lot due to our financial condition."

Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Shahzad Poonawalla said the verbal fight between the AAP government and wrestler Divya Kakran was an insult to athletes, youth, and the Tricolour.

"The only mistake Kakran made that she told the truth to Kejriwal. Our daughter, our sister, who made the country proud, if she spoke the truth, then the entire social media infrastructure of the Aam Aadmi Party got dominant," he said.