Led by Padma Shri Kartar Singh and Olympic medallist Vijender Singh, many Olympians and former athletes have also decided to return their National Awards in solidarity with the protesting farmers in the national capital.
However, Vijender, who is ready to return his Khel Ratna, has advised some athletes to stay away because of their government jobs.
“I received a lot of messages from athletes from Punjab and Haryana who wanted to support the farmers. But most of them have jobs in the government,” Vijender was quoted as saying by Scroll.
“But knowing the small-mindedness of this government well, I asked the athletes to not take part in the protests, as I felt the government with their small mentality could hurt the careers of these athletes.[sic] On a personal front, I’ll firmly stand with the farmers.”
Vijender also opened up on the Indian Olympic Association’s statement, saying that returning the awards was a way to express their unhappiness.
“For a moment, I thought what will I achieve by returning the awards?” the 2012 Olympic bronze-medal winning boxer said.
“But the fact is that we are unhappy with the situation and returning the award is a way of expressing that feeling of unhappiness to the government. It shows that the sportsmen of this country are standing firmly with the farmers, and they feel the farm law changes are not right. If the farmers are unhappy, we are unhappy. It’s as simple as that,” Vijender said.
Vijender further said, “You can win awards and medals again but I have been fed by farmers of Punjab for 14 years. So, how can I not help when they are in need.”
On Tuesday, India cricketer Mandeep Singh also joined the protest at the Delhi border. Mandeep said, "If my father would have been alive, he would have also joined the protests. He must be a proud father because his sons did their bit," he said as quoted by The Times of India.
The athletes had planned to march to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday but were stopped by the police midway.
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