Sharad Pawar welcomes suspension of WFI, says decision should have been taken earlier

Earlier on Sunday, the sports ministry suspended the WFI – barely three days after its new office-bearers were elected – for not following the provisions of its constitution while taking decisions

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president, Sharad Pawar, on Monday welcomed the suspension of the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and said that the sports ministry should have taken the decision earlier.

Sharad Pawar was speaking on the sidelines of his visit to Bhimthadi, an annual rural festival in Pune city. (HT PHOTO)

Sharad Pawar was speaking on the sidelines of his visit to Bhimthadi, an annual rural festival in Pune city. “There was a complaint about objectionable conduct towards women wrestlers. A decision should have been taken against such elements long back. Although it is delayed, I welcome the decision,” the NCP chief said in reply to a question on the suspension of the newly-elected WFI.

Earlier on Sunday, the sports ministry suspended the WFI – barely three days after its new office-bearers were elected – for not following the provisions of its constitution while taking decisions. The ministry has asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to constitute an ad-hoc panel to manage the affairs of the sports body. The ministry cited the WFI’s “hasty announcement” of organising the U-15 and U-20 nationals “without following due procedure and not giving sufficient notice to the wrestlers for preparations” while suspending the WFI. Hours after being elected as the WFI president on December 21, Sanjay Singh, announced that age group national championships will be held from December 28 in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh.

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat had accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP (member of Parliament), Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, of sexually exploiting women wrestlers during his tenure as the WFI president. After Brij Bhushan’s loyalist, Sanjay Singh, was elected as the WFI president, Malik announced her retirement from the sport, while Punia returned his Padma Shri to the government.

Asked about his nephew, Ajit Pawar’s remarks, that his uncle had rebelled at the age of 38 while he did it after crossing 60, Sharad Pawar said that that was not a rebellion but a decision taken after mutual consultation.

In a reference to his uncle’s move in 1978 against the then Maharashtra chief minister, Vasant Dada Patil, Ajit Pawar on Sunday had said that he joined the Eknath Shinde government after crossing the age of 60 while some had gone down that path at the age of 38. In 1978, Sharad Pawar had walked out of the Vasant Dada Patil-helmed state government with 40 MLAs, leading to the collapse of the Patil dispensation. On July 18 that year, the NCP supremo had been sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra. He was the youngest CM at 38. Ajit Pawar had further claimed that back then, Yashwantrao Chavan opposed Sharad Pawar’s move since a leader of the stature of Vasant Dada Patil had been pushed aside.

“Vasant Dada was a good leader but he was kept aside and the experiment with the Janata Party was done. So, it is not as if nobody in the past took the kind of step that I took. I took the decision after crossing 60, so everyone needs to understand my stand,” Ajit Pawar had said.

Hitting back at Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar said, “In our times, there was no rebellion. We used to sit and take decisions. So, there was no such thing (rebellion). It was a mutual decision so there was no question of anyone complaining.”

When asked about the opposition bloc INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) not having a prime ministerial face, Sharad Pawar said that even in the 1977 Lok Sabha polls (post Emergency), no one was projected as the PM.

“After the polls, Morarji Desai was made the PM. There are no consequences if a face is not projected. If people are in the mood for change, they will take a call to bring about that change,” the former Union minister asserted. Asked that a poll survey had given the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) an edge over the ruling alliance in the 2024 LS polls, he said surveys are just indications and one should not jump to conclusions on the basis of such exercises.

To a question about the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief, Prakash Ambedkar, stating that his outfit could fight all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra if an alliance with the INDIA bloc does not materialise, Sharad Pawar said that all political groups have the right to take their own decisions.

He said that he had told Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge, in a meeting held in Delhi, to take Ambedkar along, adding that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had also contacted the VBA chief. “I welcome the move by Ambedkar and our colleagues to work together,” the NCP founder asserted.