Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya eliminated from Paris Olympics qualification race
Sonepat (Haryana), Mar 10: Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya -- the Tokyo Games medallists -- were on Sunday eliminated from the race for the Paris Olympics qualification after losing their respective bouts in the selection trials for the national team.
Punia, who was a prominent face of protest against former WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, suffered a crushing 1-9 defeat in the men's freestyle 65kg semifinal against Rohit Kumar.
This was after he barely managed to win against Ravinder (3-3 on criteria) in the opening round.
If Ravinder had not conceded a caution point in the bout, Punia would have been eliminated in the opening bout itself.
Punia had trained in Russia to prepare for the trials, which are being organised by the IOA ad-hoc panel.
Punia though won a case in the Delhi High Court after contending that the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had no authority to conduct trials.
He left the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre here in a huff after being eliminated. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) officials tried to collect a sample for a dope test from Punia but he did not stay back even for the third-fourth place bout.
As fate would have it, it will be Sujeet Kalakal who will now strive to earn qualification in the 65kg for the Paris Games after winning a spot in the Indian team.
Sujeet had lost a legal case against Punia when he had challenged his direct entry for the Hangzhou Asian Games. Sujeet beat Rohit by technical superiority in the final.
"We have always done well in 65kg and Bajrang won a Olympic medal so it is a big responsibility for me to go and win a quota place for the country," Sujit said on Sunday.
Rohit will now represent India at the Asian Championships.
The winners at the trials will get the opportunity to compete at Asian and World Olympic Qualifiers to be held in Bishkek from April 19-21 and in Istanbul from May 9-12.
The men's 57kg, being organised in Nordic format, was always a tough category since both Tokyo Games silver medallist Ravi Dahiya and star-in-making Aman Sehrawat were in contention.
Dahiya, who is making a comeback from an injury, lost the high-scoring opening bout 13-14 to Aman. Both of them train at Chhatarsal Stadium.
Aman has made a name for himself after winning medal at almost all tournaments in 2023 when Dahiya did not compete. Aman, the Asian Games bronze medallist, staved a last-minute push from Dahiya to win the close bout. Dahiya lost the next bout to U20 Asian champion Udit to be eliminated.
Aman will represent India at the Olympic Qualifiers in 57kg and given the talent he possess, he stands a good chance to succeed.
"Competing against Ravi is always tough but I prepared well for this tournament and worked on my game. I was preparing in Russia for last one month and that has helped me," an ecstatic Aman said after his bout.
India have so far earned only one quota for the Paris Games through Antim Panghal (women's 53kg).
Other wrestlers to win trials were -- Jaideep (74kg), Deepak Punia (86kg), Deepak Nehra (97kg) and Sumit Malik (125kg).
Indian team for the Asian Qualifiers:
57kg Aman Sherawat
65kg Sujeet Kalkal
74kg Jaideep
86kg Deepak Punia
97kg Deepak Nehra
125kg Sumit Malik.
Results of selection trials:
Men's Freestyle:
57kg: 1. Aman (Haryana); 2. Udit (Railways); 3. Shubham (Haryana) and Ravi (Delhi)
61kg: 1. Aakash Dahiya (Services); 2. Nikhil (Delhi); 3. Mangal (Gujarat) and Abhishek Dhaka (UP)
65kg: 1. Sujeet (Haryana); 2. Rohit (Services); 3. Anuj (Goa) and Vishal Kaliraman (Railways)
70kg: 1. Abhimanyu (Delhi); 2. Sharwan (Services); 3. Naveen (Goa) and Ankit (Haryana)
74kg: 1. Jaideep (Haryana); 2. Yash (Railways); 3. Naveen (Services) and Vijay Kumar (Haryana)
79kg: 1. Parvinder (Haryana); 2. Sachin Mor (TRI); 3. Mohit Kumar (Delhi) and Sadashiv (Karnataka)
86kg: 1. Deepak Punia (Services); 2. Sandeep Singh (Punjab); 3. Sanjeet (Services) and Deepak (West Bengal)
92kg: 1. Vinay (Haryana); 2. Praveen Chahar (CGH); 3. Vicky (Services) and Parveen (Haryana)
97kg: 1. Deepak (Services); 2. Vicky (Haryana); 3. Karandeep Singh (Punjab)
125kg: 1. Sumeet (Haryana); 2. Anirudh (Railways); 3. Mahendera (Maharashtra) and Dinesh (Services)
Greco Roman:
55kg: 1. Arun Halakurki (Karnataka); 2. Lalit (Haryana); 3. Sanjeev (MP) and Rohit Yadav (Railways)
60kg: 1. Sumeet (Chandigarh); 2. Pravesh Kumar (Services); 3. Saurabh (UP) and Sunny Kumar (Haryana)
63kg: 1. Umesh (Delhi); 2. Parvin Patil (Mah); 3. Ankit (Delhi) and Vinay (TRI)
67kg: 1. Ashu (Railways); 2. Vinayak Patil (Services); 3. Deepak (Delhi) and Neeraj (Services)
72kg: 1. Ankit Gulia (Services); 2. Sameer (Mah); 3. Ajay Dagar (Haryana)
77kg: 1. Vikash (Railways); 2. Sajjan (Railways); 3. Karan (Gujarat) and Kuldeep Malik (Railways)
82kg: 1. Rohit Dahiya (Railways); 2. Rahul (Services); 3. Lovepreet Singh (Punjab) and Aman Kumar (Haryana)
87kg: 1. Sunil Kumar (Railways); 2. Ajay (Haryana); 3. Ravinder Khatri (Services) and Rohit Bura (MP)
97kg: 1. Nitesh (Railways); 2. Narinder Cheema (Punjab); 3. Sonu (Haryana) and Vijender (Delhi)
130kg: 1. Naveen (Services); 2. Mehar Singh (Gujarat); 3. Sonu (Delhi) and Hardeep (Railways).
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Congress committed to social justice, says Karnataka CM; hits out at JD(S), BJP
BJP Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that the Congress remains firmly committed to social justice, both in principle and practice.
"The Congress is a party committed to social justice. This ideological commitment has been demonstrated not merely through words but through action," the CM said in a statement, underlining that the party has consistently translated its philosophy into governance.
He said his recent article marking Social Justice Day has sparked debate.
Defending the piece, he said: "An article I wrote for a newspaper as part of Social Justice Day celebrations has sparked multifaceted debate in the state’s political circles. If water remains stagnant, it turns into slush; if it flows, it becomes clearer."
"The social system is similar—if it does not remain rigid and instead becomes dynamic, it transforms in a people-centric manner. From this perspective, I welcome the discussion surrounding my article," he added.
Stating that his commitment to social justice is longstanding, the CM said, "Whether in power or out of it, my stand in favour of social justice has remained unwavering. I have greater clarity about the caste system among us than the politicians criticising me."
"I am prepared for a public debate on this issue," Siddaramaiah added.
Responding to criticism from Union Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy, he said, "I have taken his allegation—that I have ‘dragged caste into the picture for the sake of a chair’—lightly."
Launching a sharp attack on JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and his family, Siddaramaiah added, "Kumaraswamy and his revered father Deve Gowda are certainly not casteists; they are against their own caste. More importantly, they are family-centric. For them, caste is merely a vote bank."
He alleged that past, present, and future top JD(S) leaders would always be members of the Gowda family, questioning how many Vokkaliga leaders the party had nurtured during Deve Gowda’s long political career.
The CM maintained that it was the Congress that had identified and politically groomed Vokkaliga leaders.
"From Kengal Hanumanthaiah to S M Krishna, hundreds of Vokkaliga leaders have been nurtured. If Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Kadidal Manjappa, and S M Krishna became chief ministers, it was because of the Congress," he said, adding that several prominent Vokkaliga leaders are currently in the party.
"If one day anyone other than a member of Deve Gowda’s family becomes chief minister, it will be through the Congress," he noted.
Highlighting inclusivity, Siddaramaiah said the Congress has enabled leaders from Vokkaliga, Lingayat, and backward communities to become chief ministers in Karnataka, and expressed gratitude to party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for giving him a second term.
He added that leaders from the Dalit community who rise to the CM's post do so on merit, not merely caste. "I can confidently say that if someone from the Dalit community becomes chief minister in the future, it will be possible only through the Congress,” he reiterated.
He questioned whether the JD(S) or the BJP in the state is capable of fostering such aspirations. "This is the difference between the Congress, the BJP and JD(S). Therefore, I urge those accusing me of practising caste politics to introspect," the CM said.
