Wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and his medal-winning daughter Babita Phogat, who inspired the Bollywood film Dangal, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday, 12 August.
They joined the BJP in the presence of Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, party's general secretary in-charge of Haryana Anil Jain and its state chief Subhash Badala.
Lauding the father-daughter duo, Rijiju said Babita has brought laurels to the country by winning medals at several international events.
Mahavir Phogat, who was chief of the Jannayak Janata Party's sports cell, switched sides from the JJP, which was floated last year by former Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala following a vertical split in the Indian National Lok Dal.
The development comes barely two months before the state Assembly polls. Elections are due in Haryana this year for electing members to the 90-member Assembly.
‘Modi Govt's Move to Revoke Article 370 a Correct Decision’
Earlier during the day, Mahavir Phogat had praised the Modi government's decision to revoke provisions of Article 370, terming it "a correct decision”.
“We are impressed with policies and programmes of the Narendra Modi government,” Mahavir Phogat told PTI.
"Scrapping Article 370 and several other decisions taken in national interest by the Central government have impressed me and millions of countrymen like me. We will be joining the BJP at a function in the national capital on Monday,” Mahavir Phogat, a Dronacharya awardee, told PTI over the phone.
His daughter Babita, too, had taken to Twitter to heap praise on the BJP leadership.
“This day will always be remembered. Salute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Jai Hind,” she had tweeted.
Babita had also defended Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar after he courted a controversy on his "brides from Kashmir" remarks.
“Manohar Lal Khattar ji has not made any such statement which portrays women wrongly and I urge the media not to distort his statement..,” she had said in a tweet.
Residents of Balali village near Bhiwani in Haryana, ace wrestler sisters Babita, Geeta and their father Mahavir Phogat's life inspired the Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal.
(With inputs from PTI)
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