WFI chief alleges conspiracy, says 'ready to resign if protesters leave'
Gonda (UP), May 01: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), who is facing allegations of sexual harassment by top wrestlers, has alleged that Congress leader Deepender Hooda and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia have conspired against him.
Singh, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party MP, has been asked to resign by the wrestlers who have also demanded his arrest. Several political parties, including the Congress and AAP, have supported the wrestlers' protests.
On Sunday, Singh said that he was willing to resign if it would make the protesters go back home. He alleged that the conspiracy was hatched by Congress leader Deepender Hooda and wrestler Bajrang Punia, and that an audio clip to prove this exists, which will be handed over to the Delhi Police when the time comes.
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Singh has been defiant about not quitting his post until now. However, he now says he is ready to step down if it will help bring an end to the protests. Speaking to reporters at his residence in Bishnoharpur, he stated that "If they go back and sleep peacefully after my resignation, I am ready to do so." Singh also alleged that the political parties have entered the fight, and that he had anticipated it from day one.
Singh thanked Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav for not siding with the protesting wrestlers. He stated that he knew Yadav since his childhood and was elder to him. Singh said that though there are political differences between them, Akhilesh Yadav knows the truth. He added that if there are 10,000 wrestlers in Uttar Pradesh, 8,000 of them belong to the Yadav community and the Samajwadi family, hence, they know the truth.
On Friday, the Delhi Police registered two FIRs against Singh on allegations of sexual harassment levelled by seven women wrestlers. The first FIR pertained to allegations of a minor wrestler and was registered under the POCSO Act, while the second was related to outraging modesty. Singh claimed that the protesters were "toys" in the hands of the Opposition and that their motive was political and not his resignation.
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Singh stated that he had yet to receive a copy of the FIR registered against him. He wondered why the railway board was not stopping wrestlers associated with the railways from sitting on protest in Delhi's Jantar Mantar. He stated that it was their right to protest, but players associated with the railways should not sit on a protest where objectionable slogans are being raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
When asked about Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi's participation in the wrestlers' protest, Singh said, "She does not know the facts. Deepender Hooda, the architect of this conspiracy, brought her to the protest site." He added that he openly challenges them to fight against him from Kaiserganj, Gonda, Shravasti, or any Lok Sabha seat in the area. Singh claimed that a big industrialist was responsible for the conspiracy against him but refused to name the individual. He stated that if he did, he would be killed.
The protesting wrestlers had warned against using their platform for political gains, claiming that few people were trying to take their fight for justice in a different direction.
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- With inputs from agencies
