Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and a BJP leader, has once again dismissed the harassment allegations against him, calling them part of a political conspiracy orchestrated by Congress leaders. This statement follows the recent joining of star wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia to the Congress party ahead of the Haryana assembly elections.
Singh, who was accused of misconduct by several women wrestlers in 2023, had previously claimed that Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Deepender Hooda were behind the allegations to tarnish his image. Reiterating this sentiment, he said that the entire country now sees this as a Congress-driven plot. His remarks resurfaced as Phogat and Punia met with Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, signaling their formal entry into the political arena.
Singh has compared the current situation to previous incidents in his career, including his arrest in 1996 under TADA, when his wife, Ketki Singh, won a parliamentary seat in his absence. Following the 2023 allegations, the BJP did not nominate Singh for his Kaiserganj seat, instead fielding his son, Karan Bhushan Singh, who won the election.
Phogat, after joining the Congress, highlighted that while the BJP had stood by Singh, it was the Congress and other opposition parties that supported the wrestlers during their protests. She also emphasized the mishandling of the situation by authorities when the wrestlers were forcefully removed from their protest sites in Delhi(Hindustan Times)(ABP Live)(Telegraph India).
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