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.