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Brij Bhushan's first reaction as Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia join Congress: 'Bhupinder Hooda wrote the script’
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, in his first reaction to Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joining Congress, said, “The move began two years ago.”
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and Bharatiya Janata Party leader, hit out at several top Congress leaders on Saturday, a day after wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the Congress ahead of the Haryana assembly elections. Brij Bhushan alleged that “the move began two years ago", referring to the wrestlers' protest against him in New Delhi that involved allegations of sexual harassment.
“About two years ago, these sportspersons had started a conspiracy on January 18. The day this all began, I had said that this was a political conspiracy. The Congress was involved in this, Deepender Hooda was involved, Bhupinder Hooda was involved. The entire script was written. This is not an agitation by sportspersons. And now after about two years, it has become clear that the Congress was involved in this drama,” Brij Bhusan told news agency PTI.
Targeting Bhupinder Hooda, Brij Bhushan alleged that the Haryana Congres leader was behind the "wrestlers movement". “The Congress was behind it, especially Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi. This is a movement of the Congress. In this entire movement, the conspiracy that happened against us, Bhupinder Hooda was leading it. I want to tell the people of Haryana that Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda, Bajrang or Vinesh, they were not sitting (on protest) for the respect of girls. 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,” news agency ANI quoted Brij Bhushan as saying.
Also Read | Won’t join politics: Sakshi Malik on Vinesh, Punia joining Congress
“What will they answer on the day when it will be proved that I was not present in Delhi on the day of the incident on which allegations are being made? They used daughters for politics, defamed daughters. They were not fighting for the honour of daughters, they were fighting for politics,” he added.
Earlier on Friday, Brij Bhushan said, “These people view politics as a breeze. They believe they can win the assembly elections in Haryana. They can run from any assembly seat in Haryana, but a minor BJP candidate will defeat them.”
He added, "If my party directs me, I am prepared to campaign in the Haryana assembly elections. I am confident I will receive strong support from their community. I am ready to campaign for the BJP candidate right in front of them."
The former WFI president also criticised Congress leaders who joined the wrestlers' protests, saying, “Many Congress leaders joined the protests under the guise of seeking justice for the wrestlers. One by one, wrestlers were turned into pawns. The Congress, together with the wrestlers, has undermined wrestling in this country.”
Olympians Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who led the wrestlers' protest against Brij Bhushan last year, entered the political scene on Friday by joining the Congress. They pledged to “not be scared or back down".
On Friday, Vinesh Phogat reflected on the ongoing battle over sexual harassment allegations against Brij Bhushan. “The fight is continuing, it hasn't ended yet. It's in court. We will win that fight as well... With the new platform that we are getting today, we will work for the service of the nation,” she said.
Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia's entry into politics
On Friday, the Congress announced its first list of 32 candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections. The list includes former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda running from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, state unit chief Udai Bhan from Hodal, and wrestler Vinesh Phogat from Julana.
Phogat, an Olympian, will contest from Julana in Jind district, a key political region that played a significant role during the farmers' protest against the now-repealed farm laws. Although Phogat is from Balali in Charkhi Dadri district, her in-laws' hometown is Julana.
Following his entry into Congress, Bajrang Punia was appointed as the working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress, making it unlikely that he will be a candidate in the upcoming elections.
The 90-member Haryana Assembly will hold elections on October 5, with vote counting scheduled for October 8.
Wrestlers' [rotest
Several top wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat, have protested to demand the arrest of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan on charges of sexually harassing female wrestlers. Facing mounting pressure, Brij Bhushan resigned from his role as WFI chief, a position he had held since 2012. In addition to the sexual harassment and mental torture allegations, wrestlers like Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya have criticised his “dictatorial” leadership style.
Following the allegations, the BJP chose not to field Bhushan from Kaiserganj and instead nominated his son, Karan Bhushan Singh, as the candidate in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
