After winning a Gold medal in the Asian Wrestling Championship held in Delhi this year, wrestler Bajrang Punia thought he would get a government job, but the erstwhile Haryana government’s ”bring medal, get job” promise remains unfulfilled. Bajrang and his family have sought a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) post for him.
“I am still jobless. I approached the Haryana government several times, but don’t know what went wrong with my candidature. The Hooda government devised the policy (Padak lao, pad pao; bring medal get job). It should have been continued by the next government, but they don’t seem keen to follow it. I made several attempts to get a government job but failed, the reason is known only to the authorities,” said Bajrang, before leaving for the U-23 World Wrestling championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
“Many other sportsperson from the state too have a similar story to tell. They are still jobless. We as athletes need appreciation from the government. We have done our work, now it’s up to them to reward us,” said Bajrang.
“However, this does not deviate from my focus. I am preparing for the world championship and am keeping myself motivated. My aim is to win medals in International events like Commonwealth Games and World Championship. I will be part of the Wrestling League and hope to do better,” said Bajrang.
The Tokyo Olympics is 31 months away but the wrestler has started preparing for the event that he hopes will be memorable.
“I wrestle in 65 kg category and will do the same in the Olympics. Every player has a dream to win a medal in the Olympics and I do too. I am working hard for 2020. I will go abroad in 2018 and 2019 for Olympic preparations, but most importantly I have to keep myself free from injuries as I don’t want to miss the flight to Tokyo,” said the Glasgow Commonwealth Games silver medalist.
Termed as the most talented wrestler in the country, Bajrang has to live up to the legacy of Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt. “I feel really honoured when people say something like this about me. I know I am far behind Sushil bhai and Yogi bhai, but I will try my best to keep the country’s faith and bring gold from Tokyo,” he said.
Bajrang said the Narsing doping episode has made him more conscious about outside eatables.
“Now I am conscious about my diet, I only eat homemade food. I am taking so much care that I didn’t buy eatables from outside now,” said Bajrang.
“PWL has changed the fate of wrestling in the country. It has also provided us a platform to understand the game and techniques of foreign players. The league also motivates youngsters to play well and earn well,” he said.