Wrestling Federation of India president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh today refused to resign amid controversy and allegations of sexual harassment. Singh said that he is an elected president and is not coming to the post by someone’s mercy. For the last few days, several wrestling medal winners of the country, who have been protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, have made serious allegations against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and several coaches. These include allegations of sexual harassment.
Wrestlers like Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Commonwealth Games medalist Vinesh Phogat are demanding dissolution of the wrestling federation and Singh’s resignation. The protesting athletes have met Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. According to media reports, reacting to the statements of some athletes that if they open their mouths, an earthquake may occur, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said that if they open their mouths, a tsunami will occur.
Under-fire WFI chief Singh termed the protest by the country’s top wrestlers as “Shaheen Bagh sit-in” and reiterated that he would not quit. Singh, who is a sixth-time Lok Sabha MP from UP’s Kaiserganj constituency, told reporters at his native place here, “The protest of the wrestlers against me is the Shaheen Bagh sit-in.”
Singh termed the protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar as an attack on the BJP and sponsored by the Congress party.
Earlier, talking to a TV channel, he had said, “The protesting players have become a toy in the hands of Congress and Deepinder Hooda.” This kind of conspiracy was hatched against me by the Congress about three decades ago. The conspiracy has been repeated once again.
“I said earlier that there was a conspiracy, and there are bigger forces behind it. Now those forces are coming out in the open.”
He said, “The picture becomes more clear from the tweets and statements of Congress general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Deepinder Hooda. This attack is not only on me, but through me on the Bharatiya Janata Party.”
The WFI is yet to respond to the Sports Ministry, which on Wednesday gave the wrestling body 72 hours to respond to the sexual harassment allegations. (with agency inputs)