'Priyanka ji, and Rahul ji... Congress is behind it': Brij Bhushan on wrestlers protest, after Vinesh Phogat joins party

Former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh, who faced sexual harassment allegations from wrestlers, accused Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat of cheating to qualify for the games. He asserted that Phogat could not win a medal because God was punishing her.

“I want to ask Vinesh Phogat whether a player can give trials in two weight categories in one day? Can the trials be paused for five hours after the weigh-in?... You did not win the wrestling; you went there by cheating. God has punished you for it," he said.

The BJP leader and the former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) also accused wrestler Bajrang Punia of participating in the Asian Games without completing the required trials. He highlighted that Haryana is known for its sports achievements but noted that wrestling activities had been halted for about 2.5 years. 

"Haryana is the crown of India in the field of sports. And they stopped the wrestling activities for almost 2.5 years. Is it not true that Bajrang went to the Asian Games without trials? I want to ask those who are experts in wrestling," he said.

Brij Bhushan, speaking to ANI on Saturday, stated that when the wrestlers began their protest at Jantar Mantar in January of the previous year, the protest was not genuinely a movement by athletes and suggested that it was being driven by the Congress party, specifically led by Bhupinder Hooda.

"On 18th January 2023, when the protest started at Jantar Mantar, I said that this is not a movement of sportspersons, Congress is behind it. Especially Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda, Priyanka ji, and Rahul ji. This is a movement of Congress. And today this thing has been proved. In this entire movement, the conspiracy that happened against us, Congress was involved in it and Bhupinder Hooda was leading it," he told ANI in an interview.

Meanwhile, wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, who led protests against Brij Bhushan last year, joined the Congress party. Phogat is running for elections, while Punia has been appointed as the working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress.