Under fire, Singh digs heels in, disquiet in BJP on action
WHILE Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh told The Indian Express Friday that the BJP had not asked him for a clarification, and the party “need not get into the picture”, sources said there is disquiet within the BJP over the intensifying protests by some of the country’s top wrestlers against its long-serving MP.
There is also worry over the effect the controversy might have on the morale of other sportspersons, especially given Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on acknowledging and honouring their contributions.
However, sources said, the BJP is in a spot.
It’s taking its time seeking Singh’s resignation as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president given his political clout in UP and with a section saying the charges against him need to be investigated before a “summary dismissal.”
Singh’s four-year tenure, incidentally, is scheduled to end in March. He has now spent 10 years at the post, having become WFI president for the third time in February 2019.
Sources said Singh has claimed there is a “conspiracy” behind the allegations as he had “antagonised a few powerful personalities.” He declared publicly Friday that he would not quit.
Last month, Singh had called Baba Ramdev the “king of adulterators” and sought a probe into his food items, provoking a notice by the yoga guru asking him to apologise. Singh refused to do so.
Last year, the Kaiserganj MP criticised the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh administration over its flood management, accusing it of being ill-prepared, not doing enough for relief, and said people had been left “bhagwan bharose (to the mercy of god)”.
Meanwhile, the Opposition is turning on the heat. The Congress demanded Friday that the WFI be dissolved and PM Modi explain what action was taken when issues were reportedly flagged to him by a wrestler in 2021.
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi questioned “lack of action” by the Union Sports Ministry and National Commission for Women (NCW) against Singh. “The NCW has taken suo motu action in many instances earlier, but here they are waiting for women wrestlers to complain first. Amazing double standards,” Chaturvedi said in a tweet.
Asked about what the NCW was doing in the matter, chairperson Rekha Sharma said she had not received any complaint. “If they want us to take any action, the wrestlers should give a complaint to us,” she told The Indian Express Friday.
In 2018, when Union minister M J Akbar was accused of sexual harassment by women journalists, he was asked by the party to put in his papers.
In 2019, the BJP had expelled its UP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who was accused of raping a woman in Unnao.
In March 2021, following allegations of sexual harassment, Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi had resigned from the Karnataka Cabinet.
However, hockey player-turned-politician Sandeep Singh continues in the Haryana ministry despite accusations of sexual harassment by a woman coach. While Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar divested him of the Sports portfolio, he has stuck to the stand, despite protests, that Singh cannot be removed on the basis of allegations.
Reflecting the unease over the BJP’s silence on the allegations against Brij Bhushan Singh, a woman party MP said: “Yeh log dekh-dekh-kar action lete hain (they pick and choose who to take action against). There is no uniform rule.”
A party leader argued that they had to follow due process. “The resignations earlier did not happen overnight. The party leadership did an assessment of the complaints and conducted inquiries of its own. The suggestions were made (to the leaders) after the inquiries.”
The leader pointed out that Akbar’s case was also different from the others. “It happened at the peak of the MeToo movement the world over. The international community was looking at the Indian leadership to know what action it took as the BJP and the government were giving a lot of thrust to women empowerment, including through its Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao campaign.”
Akbar held the high-profile portfolio of Minister of State, External Affairs, at the time.
Another leader said the party might have to reconsider should the allegations against Singh spiral and invite international attention, given the status of the wrestlers involved and in the light of other such incidents in the sporting world. Singh is also the vice-president of the United World Wrestling-Asia.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Singh said he had called a general body meeting of the federation in Ayodhya on January 22 where all these issues will be discussed. There are around 80 members in the general body.
Singh said that neither the party (BJP) has asked him for any clarification nor has he approached any leader. “This is an allegation I myself have to face. My party does not need to come in the picture.”
He alleged that an industrialist who is in business of “naqli (adulterated) ghee” and a Congress MP from Haryana are behind “the campaign” against me. “If there was sexual harassment with anyone, then those who are making allegations must clarify that it was with whom, where and when.”
