Indian wrestler Divya Kakran slams Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

Indian freestyle wrestler Divya Kakran, who clinched a bronze medal in CWG '22, slammed Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for not extending support to the sportsperson even after assuring her of the same on Thursday.

"I met with CM Kejriwal in 2017 after winning a medal in Asia, assured me of help if I 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," news agency ANI quoted her as saying.

However, Kakran lauded the UP government for supporting her. She stated how the UP government in 2019 recognised her achievements by awarding her the Rani Laxmi Bai award. "In 2020 they gave me a life-long pension. Yesterday, they announced Rs 50 lakh & a gazetted officer rank post. UP govt helped me, even the Haryana govt did. But Delhi never came to help," she said.



Recalling her struggle she told ANI, "I come from extreme poverty, had no money to travel, would sit next to train toilets, in general bogie to travel for competitions. Delhi govt never helped us. I started fighting from UP in 2018."

She lashed out at the Delhi government and claimed that even after bagging 58 medals for the state, she never really got any acknowledgement or support from the government.

Earlier today, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the AAP social media team trolled Kakran and its leader Saurabh Bharadwaj "insultingly" asked her to show a certificate after she complained about not being given any financial benefits from the government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Poonawalla said at a press conference that Kakran then produced a certificate regarding her representing Delhi and alleged that the AAP has a history of insulting those who raise the honour of the national flag whether soldiers or sportspersons.