Reply by Brij Bhushan as Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia Join Congress: Wrestling Protest a ‘Political Conspiracy’
As such, the atmosphere has increasingly embittered as the wrestlers’ protests against the WFI president took on a new political overtone. Olympic wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia on Saturday joined the Congress party officially, news agency ANI reported.
A New Political Move Sparks Controversy
These wrestlers have been leading one of the most high-profile protests this year against ex-WFI-chief-turned-BJP-leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on grounds of sexual harassment. The protest by these wrestlers was sufficient to mount pressure for raising the public discourse on safety and the rights of women athletes in the country. Of late, however, Brij Bhushan, too, has stated that the protest was politically motivated and a Congress-driven agenda aimed at defaming him.
Singh’s response came just after wrestlers joined the Congress and seemed a rejoinder to what he has said all along-that the agitation was a “conspiracy” against him, too, and Congress leaders such as Bhupinder Hooda, besides others, with the Gandhi family behind them. In an interview with ANI, Singh made pointed attacks that fingered the political motive underlying protest and high-profile involvement by Congress leaders.
Complaints loud and clear, in protest, by Brij Bhushan
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh left no stone unturned in his counter-attack while saying that this protest at Jantar Mantar this January month was never about saving the rights or dignity of the women wrestlers but a political conspiracy involving top Congress leaders like Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda, Priyanka Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi to malign him while wrestlers are nothing more than pawns.
“On 18th January 2023, when it started at Jantar Mantar, I said this is not a movement of sportspersons; Congress is behind it. Especially Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi-this is a movement of Congress. And today this thing has been proved,” Singh maintained. He said the earlier prediction he had now come true since the involvement of Congress had been proved, and gave greater credence to the charge of political conspiracy.
Nutshell Summary
Wrestlers’ Protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh Starting in January 2023 at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, the protest against Singh-accused as the main culprit for serious sexual harassment-was fronted by Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and a host of other ace wrestlers. It took no time to gain momentum or send the nation into hot debate over safety and dignity for women athletes in India. But that came in addition to the unusual mixture of public figures, activists, and politicians-mostly members of Congress-who added their voices to that fray in an attempt to insist on a full investigation with accountability against those wrestlers.
The protest gradually gained momentum, and with it, the resignation of Singh as WFI president too started arising in demand-calling for immediate action against him. Many applause it so as not to get itself into another serious move to unwrap the strings of gender-based harassment in sports, as the athletes were fearlessly ready to take on an influential character like Singh.
However, Brij Bhushan has always declared himself not guilty and denied the charges, saying that the protest was politically motivated. This statement has been reinforcing his beliefs that the wrestlers were mere pawns in some big political game masterminded by Congress.
Role of Congress: Accusation of Political Interest
Wrestling protest was led by Congress, he said. Thus, the CM has directly implicated Bhupinder Hooda, senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Haryana, and his son Deepender Hooda, as leading this movement against him. Singh has filed charges against top Congress leaders, such as Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, with charges of leading the conspiracy against him, stating that all this is part of the movement against him.
And today, this thing has been proved. In this whole movement whatever conspiracy happened against us, Congress was involved in it and Bhupinder Hooda was leading it, Singh said in an interview.
He went ahead to say it had nothing to do with “daughters’ honour” and likewise was none about assuring justice for the women athletes. Contrarily, Singh suggested that Congress used the plight of the athletes to their own political advantage by accusing the party of using protest as an opportunity to attack him and ruling BJP.
Criticising Protest: Defamation of Daughters of Haryana?
Singh also complained about the form of protest the agitation had taken: “Wrestlers along with the Congress party have brought disrespect to the daughters of Haryana.” Prestige of the women was to be saved and it actually brought shame to the female athletes in the state. He further went ahead to say that wrestlers were being used to push political interests, an agitation is not helpful but causes more damage.
“We are not responsible for it, Bhupinder Hooda and Deepender Hooda and these protesters are responsible for it. What will they answer on the day when it will be proved that I was not present in Delhi on the day of incident on which allegations are being made?” Singh said in a tone to insinuate that the allegations against him could be proved false.
Hence, Singh would thus appear to be arguing that he feels the wrestlers ill-informed to enter a politically driven movement that did little good to their image than serving the cause of women athletes seeking justice.
Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia: A New Innings in Politics
The induction of Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia into the Congress party was supposed to be a career-defining decision, hailed as national heroes. Performances on the international wrestling arena soon found themselves in protest against Brij Bhushan, taking their star status to that of advocate against women’s rights. Their induction into the Congress will see Phogat and Punia playing bigger roles in shaping party agenda, particularly in Haryana, a state from where both come.
This foray into politics becomes all the more significant for the Congress party, too, which has been in eagerness to encash on their mass appeal and goodwill in the forthcoming Haryana Assembly elections. Joining the party as two of the most-decorated wrestlers in India, they can draw appreciable attention toward the party’s efforts concerning issues on gender equality and the rights of athletes.
Conclusion: An Uproar Far from Being Over
It was for this raging controversy over Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh that the protest by wrestlers and now their entry into Congress continues to hog headlines. While Singh has been quick to dismiss the protest as a political conspiracy orchestrated by Congress, the allegations against him continue unabated at the national level.
In effect, the political temperature has already started to sizzle in Haryana as star athletes such as Phogat and Punia enter the arena with the elections to the Assembly drawing near. Seldom does a protest like this-replete with accusations and counter-accusations over what hangs in the balancelargely even out the political one-upmanship to almost complete the discussion that has become the future of sports, politics, and gender equity in India.
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