DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday announced that the Haryana Cabinet has decided to offer wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat benefits equivalent to those of an Olympic silver medallist under the state's sports policy. Saini said the state's sports policy provides three types of benefits -- a cash prize of Rs 4 crore, an Outstanding Sportsperson (OSP) job under Group 'A', and an HSVP (Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran) plot.

Phogat, a Congress MLA from Julana in Jind district, had recently raised the issue in the Vidhan Sabha. Considering the matter, the Cabinet treated her case as an exception and decided to extend the benefits under the policy, an official statement said.

Since Phogat is now an MLA, the government will seek her preference regarding which benefits she wishes to avail, it added.

Saini noted that Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Olympics due to a procedural decision.

Given the circumstances at the time, he had tweeted that he would not allow the honour of Haryana's pride, Vinesh Phogat, to be lessened.

During the ongoing budget session, Phogat had reminded the Chief Minister of his promise to honour her like a medallist after she was disqualified for being overweight ahead of her gold medal bout in the 50 kilogram category.

"The chief minister had said that Vinesh is our daughter and she would receive the reward as an Olympic silver medallist. This promise has still not been fulfilled," she said in the Assembly. "It is not about money, it is about respect. Many people from across the state tell me that I must have received the cash award," Phogat added.

Meanwhile, after the Cabinet meeting, Saini said a group of Punjab farmers, including 15-20 sarpanches, had met him and invited him to several programmes. He claimed the people of Punjab are disillusioned with both Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and are now moving toward supporting the BJP. Farmers in Punjab see Prime Minister Narendra Modi as their role model, and people across the country are impressed by his policies, he said.

(editor@dailyworld.in)