Gave Delhi 58 medals but got no help, started playing for UP: Wrestler Divya Kakran puts Kejriwal govt on the mat

Wrestler Divya Kakran on Thursday came down heavily on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kerjriwal and his government for not helping and supporting her. Twitter/@DivyaWrestler

New Delhi: Wrestler Divya Kakran on Thursday came down heavily on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kerjriwal and his government for not helping and supporting her.

“By 2017, I had given Delhi 58 medals. The Delhi government never helped us. I started fighting from Uttar Pradesh in 2018,” said wrestler Divya Kakran who won a bronze medal in 65kg category in the 2022 Commonwealth Games at a press conference in the national capital today.

“In 2019 UP govt gave me the Rani Laxmi Bai award. In 2020 they gave me a life-long pension,” the Indian wrestler said, praising the Uttar Pradesh government.

On Wednesday (10 August), Divya Kakran said the Uttar Pradesh government announced Rs 50 lakh and a gazetted officer rank post. “Uttar Pradesh government helped me, even the Haryana government did. But Delhi never came to help,” she added.

Divya had received the Rani Lakshmi Bai award from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and a cheque of Rs 3,11,000.

Nobody would pay if I fought with girls, so I wrestled with boys: Divya Kakran

“I have been fighting kushti (wrestling) for so long. Nobody would pay me if I fought with girls, so I fought with boys to keep up my nourishment,” Divya said.

She further said that after winning medal in Asia in 2017, she had met with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal who assured her of help if she gave him a letter in writing. “I did, but he never got back to me. He didn’t help me in any way, with nutrition, travel, any other expenses,” the sportsperson added.

Divya said that she hails from “extreme poverty” and did not event have money to travel. She said that she had to travel for competitions and would sit next to train toilets in general bogie to travel.

She said that she came to Delhi in 2001 and in 2006 she started wrestling. “I am living here in Gokalpur for the last 22 years. My father somehow managed to get me trained for wrestling,” she added.

Divya went on to add that she won numerous medals for Delhi and only Member of Parliament from North East Delhi, Manoj Kumar stood by her.

“In 2011 I won bronze for Delhi. Till 2017, I got 58 medals and all for Delhi. Only Manoj Tiwari came to us and gave me 3 lakh, That money helped me a lot,” she added.

She emphasised that the Delhi government did not provide her any help. “We, at our family, cried a lot at our condition. Only then I went to Uttar Prades,” Divya added.

On Tuesday, Divya hit back at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government for saying that she had not played for the national capital. Replying to post by AAP’s Sourabh Bharadwaj, Divya shared a picture of certificate from the Wrestling Federation of India dated 6 June, 2019, stating that she represented Delhi in freestyle and Greco Roman style at the 19th Female Senior National Wrestling Championship.

Divya further said that she can upload certificates “showing that she won 17 Gold medals” for Delhi.

She also lashed out as CM Kejriwal for not honouring her with any prize money or any support to her.

Divya defeated Tiger Lily Cocker Lemalie 2-0 in the medal match at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games on Friday.

It is worth mentioning that the recent win was her second medal at the Commonwealth Games. She has also bagged two gold medals in the Asian Championships, and finished third in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palmbarg in the 68kg category.

With inputs from agencies

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