There seems no end to the escalating feud between CWG medalist Divya Kakran and the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi. Hours after AAP leaders countered allegations by the wrestler, stating that she represented Uttar Pradesh, the ace wrestler hit back at the Delhi government for politicising the issue.
Sharing a picture of Arvind Kejriwal greeting her with a bouquet, Kakran tweeted, “Anyone can honour a sportsperson, whether they belong to any party or from any state, there is no need to make it a political issue. plz”
Earlier yesterday, as the controversy snowballed, AAP leaders doubled down on their efforts to discredit the CWG medalist and impute political motivations behind her grievance.
Naresh Balyan, an AAP MLA from Delhi, shared a picture of BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh felicitating Divya Kakran in one of their election offices and insinuated that it was one of the reasons why the CWG medalist has been cornering the AAP government in Delhi.
Another AAP MLA, Saurabh Bharadwaj, who is in the centre of a furore over defending the Delhi government against Kakran’s allegations, on Thursday said they could not offer cash rewards to the athlete as she represented Uttar Pradesh.
“Player lives in Delhi but has only played for the state 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’ve always respected her,” Bhardwaj said while defending the AAP government over allegations by Divya Kakran.
AAP government in Delhi felicitated Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya, who represent Haryana state, with cash rewards
However, while Bhardwaj argues that the AAP government in Delhi could not reward athletes representing other states, it is worth noting Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, in April 2022, announced a cash reward of Rs 1 crores to Olympian Bajrang Punia, a wrestler who represents Haryana.
Similarly, in November 2021, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government in Delhi gave Rs 2 crores ‘Samman Rashi’ to Tokyo Olympic star Ravi Dahiya. It also appointed him as assistant director in the Sports department. Like Punia, Dahiya too represents Haryana and has never played for Delhi. Yet, the Delhi government awarded him Rs 2 crores for his stellar performance at the Tokyo Olympics last year.
Kejriwal had also tweeted about the rewards given by the Delhi government to Olympians, which punctures claims made by AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj contending that the Delhi government cannot offer cash rewards to athletes belonging to other states.
How the controversy began: Wrestler Divya Kakran slams Delhi government for not supporting athletes, AAP’s Saurabh Bhardwaj hits back
Earlier yesterday, the athlete addressed a press conference to reveal that by the year 2017, she had earned around 58 medals for Delhi but decided to play for Uttar Pradesh from 2018 since the Delhi government did not provide any financial assistance to her.
The controversy began when Indian wrestler Divya Kakran stated that she did not get any support from Delhi Government despite promises. As Aam Aadmi Party-led (AAP) Delhi Government started to get criticism over the allegations, its MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj tried to claim that Kakran never represented Delhi. In reply to the August 9 tweet of Bharadwaj, Kakran produced certificates to prove she had represented Delhi between 2011 and 2017.
In a tweet, Kakran wrote, “I represented Delhi from 2011 to 2017. This is my certificate from Delhi State. If you still do not believe me, I can upload 17 Gold medal-related certificates as well.” It is noteworthy that she has won over 60 medals including 17 Gold medals in Delhi State Championship.
Divya Kakran thanked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his wishes on winning a medal at Commonwealth Games 2022 and reminded him that despite the promises made by the Delhi Government, she did not receive any help from the state. Kakran had earlier highlighted the lack of support from the Delhi Government in 2018 as well.
Bharadwaj responded to the allegations by sharing screenshots of news reports that pointed to Divya Kakran representing her home state Uttar Pradesh. He wrote on August 7, “The whole country is proud of you sister. But I do not remember that you play for Delhi. You have always been playing for Uttar Pradesh. But the player is of the country. You do not expect respect from Yogi Adityanath Ji. I think the Chief Minister of Delhi will listen to you.”