Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former WFI President Brij Bhushan Singh slammed wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia for joining the Congress party and said it only proved his claim that the Congress was behind wrestlers’ protest. Bhushan said Phogat will be defeated by the BJP in the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls.
The former Wrestling Federation of India president said the Hooda family and Congress leadership were behind wrestlers’ protest. Brij Bhushan had to resign from WFI following huge protests by wrestlers accusing him of sexually harassing women grapplers.
Brij Bhushan charged, “When the protest started at Jantar Mantar, I said that this is not a movement of sportspersons and Congress is behind it. Especially Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda, Priyanka ji and Rahul ji. This is a movement of Congress. And today, this thing has been proven. In this entire movement, the conspiracy that happened against us, Congress was involved in it and Bhupinder Hooda was leading it," ANI reported.
Brij Bhushan said the wrestlers have embarrassed women of Haryana through their protest. “Due to them, the daughters of Haryana are facing embarrassment. We are not responsible for it, Bhupinder Hooda and Deependra Hooda and these protesters are responsible for it,” he said.
Wrestlers Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who joined the Congress on Friday, were at the forefront of the wrestlers’ protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh last year. After joining the party, Phogat said "not being scared or backing off". Both wrestlers quit their Railway posts before joining the party. The party has fielded Vinesh Phogat in Julana seat for upcoming assembly polls in Haryana.
Meanwhile, the WFI President also backed Bhushan’s charges and said wrestlers have become pawns in the hands of Congress. "This was bound to happen. It is known to the whole country that this entire protest was happening at the behest of Congress and its mastermind was Deepender Hooda and the Hooda family,” WFI President Sanjay Singh told ANI.
Sanjay Singh said the protests affected India’s medal tally in Olympics. “The protest also affected India’s medals in the Olympics. There was no wrestling activity for two years in the Olympic year, due to that, we got fewer medals. Our wrestlers were not able to practice,” he said.