Babita Phogat responds to Sakshi Malik's charge about wrestlers' protest: ‘In order to sell book…’
Sakshi Malik claimed that Babita Phogat had gathered several wrestlers to start a protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Babita Phogat on Wednesday took a vieled dig at Olympic wrestler Sakshi Malik's (also Sakshee Malikkh) claim that she had motivated wrestlers to start the protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
In a post on X, without naming Sakshi Malik, Babita Phogat claimed that allegations against her were being made to increase the sales of Sakshi Malik's new book.
"Shine with your own character. How long will the borrowed light last? Some got assembly seats, some got posts sister, and you did not get anything, I can understand your pain. In order to sell the book, she sold her integrity," Babita Phogat wrote on X.
Sakshi Malik, along with wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, was the prominent faces of the prolonged protest against Brij Bhushan Singh. The three had alleged that Brij Bhushan, the former head of the Wrestling Federation of India, sexually harassed women wrestlers during his tenure. The case is still being heard in a Delhi court.
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In an interview with India Today TV, Sakshi Malik claimed that Babita Phogat had gathered several wrestlers for a meeting, urging them to protest against the federation’s alleged misconduct, including cases of molestation.
“Babita Phogat approached us with the idea of protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh because she had her own agenda — she wanted to become the WFI president,” India Today had quoted Sakshi Malik as saying.
“There are rumours that Congress supported our protest, but that’s false. In fact, two BJP leaders helped us secure permission to protest in Haryana - Babita Phogat and Tirath Rana,” the Olympic wrestler had said.
What Sakshi Malik wrote
In her book 'Witness', Sakshi Malik has also claimed that Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia's decision to accept exemption from the Asian Games trials last year hit the image of their protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as it made their movement seem "selfish".
She claimed that their protest developed cracks when "people close to" Bajrang and Vinesh began to fill their minds with "greed".
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"The old way of thinking selfishly was taking over once again. The people close to Bajrang and Vinesh had started filling their minds with greed. Now they were talking about this exemption from trials for the Games," Sakshi wrote in the book co-authored with journalist Jonathan Selvaraj but did not give names of those who influenced the duo.
On her part, Vinesh Phogat responded to charge saying that she was looking out for her "sisters".
“Greed for what? You should ask her (Sakshi Malik). If speaking for the sisters is greed, I have this greed and this is good. If this is the greed - to bring an Olympic medal by representing the country, it's a good greed,” Vinesh said.
Bajrang Punia, however, dismissed any rift between him and Sakshi Malik, saying her opinions are her own. He expressed confidence in their friendship, saying, “It’s her personal view. She was our friend, and she will continue to be so. I can’t comment on what she has said.”
Notably, both Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the Congress before the Haryana Assembly elections. Phogat was given a ticket from the Julana constituency while Punia was made head of the party's national farmers unit.
Vinesh Phogat won the Julana Assembly seat in Haryana, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Yogesh Kumar.
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