Haryana wrestler and Commonwealth Games champion Babita Phogat and her father Mahavir Phogat have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Union minister Kiren Rijiju at BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Monday. The development comes barely two months before the Haryana Assembly polls.
Babita Phogat and Geeta Phogat along with their other four sisters are popularly known as Phogat sisters. The Phogat sisters and their father Mahavir shot to limelight after Aamir Khan’s 2016 film “Dangal”. The success of the Phogat sisters has attracted substantial media attention, particularly due to the prevalent social issues in Haryana such as gender inequality, female foeticide.
Delhi: Wrestler Babita Phogat and her father Mahavir Singh Phogat join Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju. pic.twitter.com/p4itp7hxMX
— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2019
Phogat sisters are quite popular on social media and have been known for their pro-BJP and nationalistic tendencies for some time. Recently Babita Phogat also defended Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar after he courted controversy with his remarks on Kashmiri girls. She said- “Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has not made any such statement that is offensive to our sisters and daughters. I urge media to not misinterpret his statement,”