Brij Bhushan Singh claims Congress used Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia as 'pawns'

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh (Pic: AFP)

Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh accused the Congress of using wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia as "pawns" in a plot to undermine the BJP and seize control of the WFI. His statements came one day after Olympic medallists Phogat and Punia attended the Congress.

Singh, a senior BJP leader, claimed that the Congress nursed a vendetta against him for defeating their leader Deepender Hooda in the 2012 WFI poll. He stated that Bhupinder Hooda, the Congress, and its leaders utilised the wrestlers to push their objective.

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Phogat and Punia were key figures in the rallies against Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment.

In response to Phogat's assertion that no woman should have to go through what she did, Singh questioned the veracity of her statements, claiming to have been in Lucknow at the time of the claimed occurrence.

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He said, "They were faces... they were mohrey (pawns). They were used like pawns by (former Haryana chief minister) Bhupinder Hooda, the Congress and the Congress family." "This was all conspired to gain a hold on the Wrestling Federation of India and to attack the BJP and its ideology...This team of Rahul, the Congress keeps doing this thing," he told PTI Videos.

Singh, speaking about Vinesh Phogat's assertion, said, "What happened with her? The incident that she alleges happened at a time when I was in Lucknow. Time will tell the truth."

Vinesh Phogat is running for Congress in the Julana assembly seat in Haryana, while Bajrang Punia has been named the All India Kisan Congress' working chairperson.

WFI chief too claims Congress masterminded wrestlers' protest

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Sanjay Singh stated on Saturday that wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joining the Congress party confirmed that the political party was behind the wrestlers' protest. Singh claimed that the protest, led by the athletes against former WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, was masterminded by Congress leader Deepender Hooda and his family.

Singh told ANI, "Their joining proves Congress orchestrated the protest. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is associated with the BJP, but despite my neutrality, they opposed me too. This entire protest was politically motivated."

He further claimed that the protest disrupted wrestling activities in India, affecting the nation's performance in the Paris Olympics. "There was no wrestling activity for two years during the Olympic year, which reduced our chances of winning more medals," Singh added.