The wrestlers are demanding action against Brijbushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexually harassing women players.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar
As pictures of weeping Olympic medalist wrestler Sakshi Malik and a visibly emotional Bajrang Punia leaving his Padmshri medal on a footpath after BJP MP Brijbushan Sharan Singh’s aide won WFI president election triggered massive public outrage, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday suggested the players should focus on their sports.
“Players should focus more on sports. The issue that came up regarding association is encircled by politics. Elections take place democratically so now they should accept it…Here if some association is elected after voting then they should be accepted. Next time if somebody else wants to try, they can,” Khattar said.
Both Sakshi and Bajrang Punia come from Haryana, which is currently ruled by Brijbushan’s party BJP.
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On Thursday, Sakshi Malik announced to quit wrestling and left her boots on a table during a press conference in protest against Sanjay Singh’s election as WFI chief.
Sanjay Singh is a close associate of the BJP MP accused of sexually assaulting Malik and many other woman wrestlers during his tenure as WFI president. After his victory, the BJP leader has announced that “his dominance will continue”.
“Dabdaba to hai, dabdaba to rahega, ye dabdaba to bhagwan ne de rakha hai (Dominance is there, it will remain there. God has given this),” he said after the victory.
On Friday, Bajrang Punia, another Olympic medalist, returned his Padmshri award and left it on a footpath near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence. He also left a letter along with the award.
When pictures of a weeping Malik leaving the press conference hall emerged on social media, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and the party’s Haryana unit leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda went to meet her and extended Congress party’s support to their fight against the BJP MP.
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