Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Divya Kakran slams Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for lack of support

Divya Kakran said she has been in Delhi for 22 years and had to go to UP after the AAP government did not help her despite winning numerous medals “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.

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

"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.

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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.