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Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Yudhvir Singh criticised the Union Sports Ministry's decision to suspend newly elected body of Wrestling Federation of India while demanding clarity on the matter.
"Even now a clear decision from govt hasn't come, govt is talking about suspension. Govt needs to be clear. We want to hear that this election has been cancelled, what is this suspension?," Singh said while speaking to reporters in Delhi. In a major decision, coming in light of fresh protests by star wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia over the election of an aide of deposed WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as the new president of the wrestling federation, the Union Sports Ministry earlier in the day suspended the sport's premier governing body in the country along with all its office-bearers. Responding to the decision, newly elected Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Sanjay Singh said that the future of children who are pursuing this sport is getting ruined and the federation will talk to the government. "We will speak to the Central government, we will speak to PM Modi and the Sports Minister. The future of children is getting ruined, some members of the executive committee will go and talk," said Sanjay. On his relationship with former WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh, Sanjay said that they both come from different communities and they share a bond of friendship as he was the Joint Secretary in the federation during Brij's tenure as president of the sport's governing body. The decision came close on the heels of newly elected WFI president Sanjay Singh announcing the hosting of the U-15 and U-20 nationals at Nandini Nagar in the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh by the end of the year. Also, the Union Sports Ministry on Sunday instructed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad-hoc committee to manage and control the affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), as per a source from the ministry. Earlier, Olympian Sakshi Malik announced her retirement from wrestling at an emotional press briefing, claiming that the Centre went back on its word to not install an aide of Brij Bhushan as an office-bearer of the wrestling federation. Later, voicing his misgivings over the election of Sanjay Singh as the new WFI chief, fellow Olympian Bajrang Punia returned his Padma Shri in protest. The star wrestlers earlier led a protest by wrestlers who came out against Brij Bhushan, accusing him of sexual harassment. (ANI)
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