Wrestling competition in Mulayam’s memory to be held in Pratapgarh

A two-day wrestling competition, in memory of Samajwadi Party patron late Mulayam Singh Yadav, would be held in Pratapgarh from November 5. Forty wrestlers from the states of Maharashtra and Rajasthan besides districts like Ayodhya, Lakhimpur Kheri and other parts of Uttar Pradesh will feature in the competition. Some wrestlers from Nepal too are expected at the two-day event, named ‘Akhil Bharatiya Virat Kushti Dangal’ to be held at Nagar Panchayat Katra Medniganj in Pratapgarh district on November 5 and 6.

Mulayam Singh Yadav was a wrestler himself. The wrestling competition is to be held near a primary school and preparations are being given final touch by the organizing committee under Umang Welfare Society, run by Samajwadi Party leader Siraj-ul-Haq who was close to Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Siraj-ul-Haq said that seven teams and 40 wrestlers from different places including Nepal and including wrestlers like Baba Bajrangi of Ayodhya, Thakur Balwan Singh of Lakhimpur Kheri, Tiger Pehalwan of Udhampur Dhami, wrestler Fakeer Baba of Kaliyar, wrestler Shaitan singh of Shriganga Nagar in Rajasthan, wrestler Manjeet Singh of Mumbai and wrestler Deva Thapa from Kathmandu, Nepal would arrive with their teams to participate in the wrestling competition.

“Mulayam Singh himself was a pehalwan and used to patronize them. This ‘dangal’ is being organized in his memory. I am a Samajwadi Party member since 1992 and have been corporator of the area. No person has been invited as the chief guest in the competition and all Samajwadi Party leaders and workers besides audience in large numbers will be present to witness the wrestling matches and cheer up the participants,” Haq said.

“The wrestling matches will spread Mulayam Singh’s message of unity and equality in the society,” he added. Haq’s wife Zubaida Khatun is Nagar Panchayat Chairman of Katra Medniganj at present.