Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association vice president and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Brij Bhushan Singh’s aide, Sanjay Singh won the WFI President’s position on Thursday.
The elections for the WFI president’s position caught the public eye after wrestlers raised sexual harassment allegations against its then chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Shortly after his close aid, Sanjay Singh, won the elections, former chief Brij Bhushan proclaimed, “dabdaba tha, dabdaba rahega (dominance was there before and it will continue now).”
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference after the declaration of Sanjay Singh’s victory in the presidential polls, wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat broke down and said that they will continue their fight. Sakshi Malik, on live television, said that she would give up wrestling.
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- Close aid of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Sanjay Singh, won the wrestling body’s presidential elections on Thursday. He beat Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anita Sheoran, who was backed by the wrestlers as well.
- Celebrating Sanjay Singh’s victory, former WFI Chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said that this was not his “personal victory but the victory of the wrestlers of the country”.
- Hours after controversial former WFI’s chief Brij Bhushan’s aide won the elections, star wrestler Sakshi Malik on live television announced that she would give up wrestling and broke down. “We slept for 40 days on the roads and a lot of people from several parts of the country came to support us… If Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and a close aid is elected the president of WFI, I quit wrestling…”, she said while keeping her shoes on the table.
- Ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who led the protests against former WFI chief over sexual harassment charges from the forefront, also broke down on live television. She said that they have minimal expectations but still are hopeful of getting “justice”. “It’s saddening that the future of wrestling is in the dark. To whom shall we convey our grief?… We are still fighting,” Phogat said.
- Phogat said that since Sanjay Singh has become the new chief of the wrestling body, “the women wrestlers will continue to face harassments.”
- As wrestlers were left disappointed by the results of the presidential elections, former WFI chief Brij Bhushan said wrestlers wanting to do politics can do politics and those who want to do wrestling will do wrestling.
- Former chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh also expressed his pride over aide Sanjay Singh’s victory and proclaimed, ‘dabdaba tha, dabdaba rahega‘ (dominance was there, dominance will be there).
- Meanwhile, after winning the elections, Sanjay Singh said that the result of the federation’s presidential polls is a victory of truth over lies. Referring to Brij Bhushan, he said an attempt was made to harm the reputation of a person who actually had a spotless personality, NDTV said.
- – Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, while talking to the press after his aide Sanjay Singh’s win, said that he did not let anyone from his family contest the WFI elections. “The federation selected a candidate and I had said this before that we have huge majority, and that’s exactly how it turned out as we got 40 out of 47 seats.”
- Commenting on Sakshi Malik’s decision about quitting wrestling, former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh told ANI that he has nothing to do with it.
- Senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala hit out at the Centre and said that the government is quiet on ‘wrestlers’ tears’. “Government is mocking at the helplessness of the wrestlers,” Surjewala said at a press conference. He questioned the silence of the President, Prime Minister and Parliament chairs over the “atrocities faced by our female wrestlers”.
- The senior Congress leader termed Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s aide, Sanjay Singh’s win as WFI president to be an ‘atrocity’ and said it is not only against the wrestlers but against all sportsmen of the country.”
(With inputs from ANI)
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