GONDA, 11 Jun: BJP MP and outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing allegations of sexually harassing female wrestlers, on Sunday said that he will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Kaisarganj seat again.
Addressing a rally in Balpur area here in UP on the completion of nine years of the Narendra Modi government, Singh skipped any direct reference to the wrestlers’ protest for his arrest and chose to target the Congress over the Emergency, Ram temple, the 1984 anti-Sikhs riots and other issues.
On being asked why he was not commenting on the wrestlers’ protest and what he was waiting for, the BJP MP said, “Court ke faisle ka (court’s verdict).”
Singh has remained defiant despite facing possible action from the Delhi Police, which has recorded statements of over 200 people in connection with the case against him and will file a chargesheet by 15 June.
On Saturday, the protesting wrestlers alleged that he was using his influence to put sexual harassment victims under pressure and forcing them to change their statements. They also threatened to resume their stir if decisive action is not taken against the MP by 15 June.
Singh has denied the allegations against him and has claimed that some Congress leaders from Haryana had hatched a conspiracy to defame him because of the reforms he had brought as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief.
Attacking the Congress, Singh said, “In 1947, the country got divided when the Congress was in power. The wounds of the Partition had not even healed when Pakistan attacked and grabbed 78,000 square kilometres of our land while the Congress was in power.”
“In 1962, when the Congress was in power, China attacked (us) and grabbed 33,000 square kilometres of our land. In 1971 (India-Pakistan war), an unprecedented 92,000 (Pakistani) soldiers were made prisoners of war by the Indian Army. Still, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi freed them without settling the old score,” the WFI president said.
Amid the wrestlers’ protest, Singh had requested permission from the Ayodhya district administration to hold a rally on 5 June, but was denied it.
However, the MP had said that he postponed the rally for “a few days” due to the ongoing police probe into the wrestlers’ allegations against him. (PTI)