Northern Railway has started the process of accepting the resignations of wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia and both are expected to be relieved of their duties “at the earliest”, railway sources said. The development comes after their recent entry into politics when Phogat was nominated by the Congress to contest the Haryana Assembly elections from the Julana constituency.
A senior railway official confirmed that the usual three-month notice period for resigning employees will be waived in such cases. “The provision to give three months’ notice will not hamper the process. We have decided to expedite the resignations of both players,” the official said.
It is noteworthy that Phogat and Punia, who had recently joined the Congress, had resigned from Indian Railways soon after the Northern Railway (NR), of which they were part, sent them resignation notices following their meeting with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi before officially joining the party. The railways had explained that the resignation notices were part of standard service norms as both of them were still government employees at that time. They tendered their resignations after receiving the notices.
It is pertinent to note, however, that while the players may have considered the resignation as a final resurgence, tensions are still easing for Phogat as after her resignation, there was widespread speculation that she would not be able to contest the elections as the railways had not accepted her. (As per election rules, she must be officially relieved from the railways to be eligible to contest the elections.)
But now, amid the current developments, a railway official has clarified the matter: “Now that the railways is speeding up the resignation process, there is no longer any obstacle for him to contest the elections.”
(With contributions from PTI)
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