Won 58 Medals for Delhi, UP Gov Helped Me a Lot: Divya Kakran Lashes Out at AAP Government for Contoversy

Commonwealth Games 2022 bronze medalist Divya Kakran on Thursday clarified that she was forced to move to Uttar Pradesh after she did not find support in Delhi.

?I came to Delhi in 2001 and in 2006, I started wrestling. I am living here in Gokalpur for the last 22 years,? the wrestler said at a press conference.

?My father somehow managed to get me trained for wrestling.I used to wrestle with boys to earn money,? she added.

Divya also said 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 said.

?They (Delhi government) did not give any help. We, at our family, cried a lot at our condition. Only then I went to UP,? she said.

Divya had received the Rani Lakshmi Bai from UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and a cheque of ₹ 3,11,000.

?In 2019 they (UP government) awarded me with the Rani Lakshmi Bai award and promised pension. UP government helped me a lot,? she said.

Delhi Gov Response

Wrestling Federation of India has confirmed that from the year 2017 onwards Divya Kakran has been representing Uttar Pradesh. Therefore she is not covered under various reward schemes for Delhi Government as these schemes are meant for players representing Delhi, the Delhi government said.

Irrespective of these, the Delhi government is also ready to support Divya Kakran if she applies for financial assistance. ?Further, Govt of Delhi respect and honour each and every player of the country. The directorate of Sports would be happy to support Divya Kakran also in case she applies for financial assistance as per procedure?.as the directorate is funding thousands of players under its various schemes, the government said in a statement.

The government also clarified that it is proud of the achievements of Divya Kakran and, in fact, had rewarded her according to her performance. It said, ?according to records, she has been playing from Delhi till 2016-17 and was suitably awarded cash benefits 2010/11 to 2016/17 ? Rs 5000/-, Rs 10,000/-, Rs 100000/?, Rs 42,000, and Rs 42,000 respectively.

How it All Started

Controversy erupted when she had earlier expressed disappointment with the Delhi Government highlighting that she didn?t receive any help from the state even after residing in the national capital for years.

She had tweeted, “I thank Delhi CM from the bottom of my heart for congratulating me on my victory. I have a request. I have been living and practising in Delhi for the last 20 years, but I neither received any prize money nor did I get any help from the state @Arvind Kejriwal.?

“I request you that I be felicitated in the same manner you honour other Delhi wrestlers even if they represent other states,? she said in another tweet.

The CWG 2022 bronze medallist Divya Kakran raised an issue stating that the Aam Aadmi (AAP) government in Delhi did not provide her any form of assistance despite several promises. However, on August 7, while countering the claims, AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj tweeted that Kakran never represented Delhi.

In a reply to the same tweet, the CWG bronze medalist produced certificates to prove she represented Delhi between 2011 and 2017.

(With inputs from Rupashree Nanda)

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