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‘What I find weird is…’: Ex-cricketer Madan Lal on wrestlers protest
Members of the 1983 World Cup winning earlier came out in support of the protesting wrestlers and urged them not to take any hasty decision.
Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal reiterated his support for the protesting wrestlers but said he found the entry of political parties “weird”. He said the wrestlers demanding the arrest of their federation chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh should not allow the entry of political parties and get the issue resolved on their own.
“We are with the protesting wrestlers but I would like to say that when FIR has been registered and police are taking action, let the judiciary take action,” Madan Lal, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning team, told ANI. “I appeal to the government to try to resolve this issue as soon as possible.”
“What I find weird is that this is a protest of wrestlers, but political parties are entering it. I don't understand this. I would want the wrestlers to get this resolved on their own with the government. When political parties enter, it becomes a political issue," Madan Lal added.
Madan Lal's remarks came a day after members of the 1983 World Cup-winning cricket team voiced support for the grapplers and urged them not to take any hasty decision while hoping that players' issues will be "heard and resolved". In a joint statement, the former cricketers said they were distressed and disturbed after seeing the visuals of wrestlers being manhandled but also hoped that the law of the land will prevail.
"We are distressed and disturbed at the unseemly visuals of our champion wrestlers being manhandled. We are also most concerned that they are thinking of dumping their hard earned medals into river Ganga," the statement read.
"Those medals have involved years of effort, sacrifice, determination, and grit and are not only their own but the nation's pride and joy. We urge them not to take any hasty decision in this matter and also fervently hope that their grievances are heard and resolved quickly. Let the law of the land prevail," the statement read further.
BCCI president Roger Binny, however, distanced himself from the statement saying he was not a signatory to it.
"Contrary to some media reports, I would like to clarify that I have not issued any statement regarding the current situation of the wrestlers’ protest," Binny told PTI.
"I believe that the competent authorities are working on to resolve the issue. As a former cricketer, I believe that sports should not be mixed with politics," he added.
According to a PTI report, Kirit Azad, who was part of the World Cup-winning team and is now a Trinamool Congress member, sought approval only from Kapil Dev and Madan Lal before issuing the statement. The other members of the 83 batch include iconic Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, K Srikanth, Syed Kirmani, Yashpal Sharma, Madan Lal, Balwinder Singh Sandhu and Sandeep Patil.
