Newly inducted Congress leader Bajrang Punia accused former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh of ‘gloating’ at the recent Olympic loss faced by Vinesh Phogat. The remarks came after the BJP leader accused the wrestler of ‘cheating’ by taking another wrestler’s spot at the Paris Games.
“Agar ladkiyon mei thappad maarne ki himmat uss waqt hoti, to aapko bahut saare thappad lagte (If the girls had the courage to slap you back then, you would have been slapped many times). Brij Bhushan Singh is a history sheeter, with charges from theft to sedition. The BJP is supporting him,” Punia told India Today.
Meanwhile Singh dubbed the two wrestlers who had led protests calling for his dismission ‘Haryana ke khalnayaks‘. The former MP said Phogat had broken the rules by participating in a trial.
“You did not win the wrestling, you went there by cheating. God has punished you for the same…She went to the Olympics by taking the spot of the girl who had defeated her in the trials, and by creating a commotion. Therefore, whatever happened to her was justified, and she deserved it,” he had opined.
The recently appointed working chairman of All India Kisan Congress also said that the ‘lost’ Olympic medal would have belonged to 140 crore Indians rather than Phogat alone.
“This exposes the mentality of Brij Bhushan Singh towards the country…Those who celebrated Vinesh’s disqualification, are they deshbhakts? We are fighting for the country since childhood, and they dare to teach us patriotism. They are molesting girls,” he told the publication.
(With inputs from agencies)