New Delhi: ,bahubali (strong man)”, “wrestler”, in parts “local don” and “a man of immense political power and goodwill”. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from Uttar Pradesh describe party MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, 66, who has been accused of sexual harassment by India’s top wrestlers.
while a group of wrestlers are currently sitting on a indefinite protest With demands for Singh’s arrest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the BJP-led Modi government at the Center is in a quandary on what to do with him, party leaders told ThePrint.
A six-time Lok Sabha MP from Gonda, Kaiserganj and Balrampur constituencies in UP – he currently represents Kaiserganj in the Lok Sabha – Singh is believed to hold sway in the state’s five Lok Sabha constituencies and is considered indispensable to the BJP ahead of 2024 general elections.
BJP leaders ThePrint cited Singh’s clout, muscle power, a chain of educational institutions in UP and ties to the BJP’s ideological parents, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) as weighing in his favour.
on the other hand, are charge Against him came World Championship medalist Vinesh Phogat and Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, dubbing him a “predator” and accusing him of “sexually harassing” women wrestlers.
A local BJP leader from UP’s Gonda told ThePrint: “wrestler Controls politics and ticket distribution in the five Lok Sabha constituencies of Gonda, Bahraich, Dumariaganj, Kaiserganj and Shravasti. He does not need anyone to win the election, every party is ready to give him ticket and it is Brij Bhushan who obliges him.
The BJP currently holds four of these five seats, while Shravasti is held by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Despite the leader’s clout, some in the party fear that the controversy around him may work against the party’s interests.
Speaking to ThePrint, another senior BJP leader from Delhi said, “time is running out for the party to act against Singh” and that “the protesting wrestlers could damage the political narrative of our government during election time”. Are.’
The leader said: “Despite Singh’s political might, the narrative is not going in favor of the BJP. On the one hand we saySave our daughters’ And read daughter‘, and on the other hand there are these allegations. If action is not taken, what message will we give to the youth?”
ThePrint reached UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi over phone for a comment on Singh’s protest, but he declined to comment.
Singh, who was also part of the Samajwadi Party (SP) for some time, denied the allegations of harassment when they were first leveled in January this year, terming them politically motivated and accusing the protesters of being pawns of the Congress. Was accused. He has since appeared defiant in the face of further allegations.
On Thursday he put out a video message on social media, saying: “Friends, the day I reflect on my life, what I’ve gained and what I’ve lost, the day I feel I don’t have the strength to fight, The day I feel helpless , I would not like to live that kind of life. Instead of living such a life, I would rather death embrace me.”
‘I may be hanged that day’
Wrestlers had first demonstrated against Singh in January, demanding his removal from the post of WFI president.
The protest ended only when the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) stepped in to look into the allegations leveled against Singh. The Sports Ministry constituted an Oversight Committee (OC) headed by Olympian Mary Kom to probe the matter and manage the day-to-day functioning of the WFI. Singh was asked to “step down” from the post he had held since 2011.
Sources had earlier told ThePrint that the committee submitted its report this month, but it is yet to be made public.
This inspired another ongoing protest. According to media reports, the athletes have alleged that they tried calling Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and members of the organizing committee, but got no response.
The wrestlers are now demanding an FIR against Singh.
While the Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Delhi Police seeking registration of an FIR against the BJP leader, the matter is to be heard today.
In this matter, the BJP has kept silence for the time being.
After the first round of allegations, Singh had told the media: “Is anyone saying that the WFI sexually harassed a wrestler? Only Vinesh (Phogat) has said this. Has anyone (else) come forward to say they were sexually assaulted? Even if a wrestler comes forward and says he was harassed, I can be hanged that day.”
Since then, seven female wrestlers, one of whom is a minor, have filed police complaints against Singh at Delhi’s Connaught Place police station, according to wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who are leading the protest.
Phogat has said that the identity of the complainants has not been disclosed as they are junior athletes and revealing their identity may ruin their career.
On Tuesday, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that the names of the complainants would be censored from judicial records to protect their identities.
Singh’s dominance in UP
From Gonda to Kaiserganj and from the local SP to BJP leaders and political experts – all are unanimous that Singh’s clout in UP is not just a result of his political prowess but also of years spent in the wrestling world. His educational institution, obvious goodwill and image of a strong man.
Dr Hrishikesh Singh, professor of political science at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Degree College in Gonda, said, “It was Kaushalendra Dutt Ram [a former royal] of Gonda who advised Singh [a law graduate from UP’s Dr RML Avadh University] To actively enter politics”.
Singh started his political career from the constituency, winning his first Lok Sabha seat in 1991 and again in 1999 from Gonda. He won the Lok Sabha elections from Balrampur in 2004, and from Kaiserganj in 2009, 2014 and 2019. He has reportedly always been a BJP candidate, except in 2009 when he won the election on an SP ticket.
According to media reports, he was also associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in 1989. In the mid-1990s, he was arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) for allegedly helping gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s associates, and spent several months in Tihar Jail.
In 2004, after he shifted to Balrampur, the BJP replaced Singh with leader Ghanshyam Shukla as the party’s candidate from Gonda. Shukla was killed in a road accident, which was termed as “murder” by some. In an interview to Scroll.in, Singh was quoted as saying that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee called and said “got killed (You had killed him)”.
A third BJP leader from Ayodhya told ThePrint that “not only was he (Singh) one of the prominent faces arrested after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, along with senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Kalyan Singh , but also always ready to help them people associated with VHP and RSS.
Singh is also known for voting in favor of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government during the 2008 trust vote in Parliament following the Indo-US nuclear deal. He was then in the BJP, which opposed the government on the issue, and was expelled from the party for cross-voting.
It was only after this that he joined the SP.
Presently his wife Ketki Devi Singh is the President of Gonda District Panchayat and his son Prateek Bhushan Singh is the MLA from Gonda Sadar seat.
backbone of educational institutions
Singh runs over 50 educational institutions, including schools and colleges, in UP’s Bahraich, Gonda, Balrampur, Ayodhya and Shravasti districts, which are considered another source of his strength in the state.
A fourth BJP leader told ThePrint: “Singh’s main strength is wrestling, which he loves. Educational institutions are a means of spreading goodwill and a base for politics through which to exercise influence. At least one lakh students study pharmacy, law, agriculture and other courses in his institutions.
“Every year on Singh’s birthday (January 8), students selected through talent hunt are rewarded with scooties, motorcycles and cash. This year, Union Minister Pankaj Chowdhary attended the prize distribution programme. Singh also waives the fees of thousands of students every year.
A local SP leader from Gonda described educational institutions as the “backbone” of Singh, which helped the BJP win several constituencies in UP.
“Students studying in their institutions and their families become the first voters of Brij Bhushan, while thousands of professors and teachers working there become (BJP) Panna Pramukhs to complete their political work ahead of the elections. In this way, no extra effort is needed to win over Leo. He also decides candidates for many seats and every party respects his strength.
‘BJP should not see political gains’
Publicly and privately, Singh is known to be outspoken and speaks his mind, not sparing even his own party. Last October, he hit out at the BJP-led government in UP over its handling of the monsoon floods. “The people were left to the mercy of the gods,” he said.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in May last year ,MNS chief Raj Thackeray reportedly canceled a visit to Ayodhya scheduled for June after Singh warned that he would not be allowed to enter the city unless he spoke against North Indians. Do not apologize for the comments made.
Singh, who is known to enjoy a good chemistry with the BJP high command, had also criticized yoga guru Ramdev, who is known to enjoy a good chemistry with the BJP high command, for allegedly selling “fake ghee” under his Patanjali brand in December last year. Said the king of adulteration.
In the ongoing controversy, political experts are of the view that despite Singh’s muscle power and influence, “the Center should not look at small political gains in UP” and act against Singh in view of the allegations of harassment.
Sanjay Gupta, professor of political science at Lucknow University, told ThePrint: “The prime minister launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to clean up physical filth, but the government should also use the campaign in sports bodies (WFIs) where cleanliness is required.” Is. It is ironic that the Center is trying to promote sports while sportspersons who make India proud are saying they were sexually assaulted and are protesting.
If the government does not look into the matter, it will go against them, advised Gupta, “The message is being sent that the government is not standing with the players. The Center should not look at small political gains in UP, rather consider what women and youth would think if action is not taken against Singh.
He said that when the BJP had expelled MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar (convicted of raping a minor in Unnao), “then why didn’t action be taken against Singh?”
In 2018, MJ Akbar, who was the Minister of State for External Affairs in the Modi government, had to resign following allegations of harassment by women journalists. Similarly Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi resigned Yediyurappa from the cabinet in March 2021 in the wake of sexual harassment allegations against him.
But speaking to ThePrint, BJP leaders from UP pointed out that “Singh does not hold any position in the party or the cabinet”.
“What action can be taken against an MP? Only the court can save us,” said one of them.
(Editing by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)