Sakshi Malik, the Rio Games bronze medallist and former wrestler, has condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for nominating Karan, the son of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh, as its candidate for the Kaiserganj seat in Uttar Pradesh. The decision has sparked outrage among top wrestlers, including Sakshi, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat, who had accused Brij Bhushan of sexual harassment during his tenure.
In a post on social media, Sakshi expressed her disappointment, stating, “The daughters of the country lost, Brij Bhushan won.” S
“We all put our careers at stake, slept on the streets for many days in sun and rain. Till date, Brij Bhushan has not been arrested. We were not demanding anything, we were only demanding justice.
“Leave the arrest, today by giving ticket to his son you have broken the morale of crores of daughters of the country. If the ticket goes to only one family, is the country’s government so weak in front of one man? Only votes are needed in the name of Lord Shri Ram, what about the path shown by him?” she questioned.
The nomination of Brij Bhushan’s son comes despite the wrestlers’ demands that none of his relatives or close aides should be allowed to contest WFI elections.
However, the BJP leader’s close aide, Sanjay Singh, was elected as the new WFI chief, prompting Sakshi to announce her retirement from the sport in protest.
While Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat did not directly comment on the issue, they reposted several critical comments regarding the BJP’s decision.
