'Tarnishing India's image': PT Usha lashes out at wrestlers for protesting before seeing report
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha on Thursday slammed wrestlers who have resumed their protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) head Brij Bhushan accusing him of sexual harassment.
Coming down heavily on wrestlers, the IOA chief said the protest on the streets is tarnishing India's image and that it equates to indiscipline.
Elite wrestlers who are protesting are Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia. They have been demanding the government to take action on their complaint and have also written to Ms Usha to act on the matter urgently.
Usha, on the other hand, chastised the wrestlers for not waiting for the report of a committee investigating their allegations before staging a public protest in Delhi.
"The players should not have protested on the streets. They should have at least waited for the report of the committee. What they have done is not good for the game and the country. It is a negative approach," Usha stated.
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur set up the committee to investigate the charges levelled against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its president. The panel, which was tasked with submitting a report to the Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry, did so on April 5. However, the results of the six-member group have not yet been made public by the ministry.
"The Narendra Modi government has done excellent work for sportspersons in the country. The government spends a lot to help sportspersons. Some 3,000 players get ₹ 5 lakh on their boarding, lodging and training. They also get ₹ 1.20 lakh for personal expenses," Thakur said.
"Some wrestlers were sitting at Jantar Mantar (in Delhi). Who spoke to them? I left all my programmes in Himachal Pradesh and heard them for 12 hours. Seven hours one day, over five hours the next day. We did a press conference late at night. We made a committee... The Narendra Modi government is very clear about standing with the players and helping them. For us, the priorities are the sports and the players. We won't compromise with them," he added.
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- With inputs from agencies
