'Wrestlers' fight not with PM Modi, Smriti Irani or BJP': Olympian Babita Phogat

As Indian Wrestlers’ protest against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh reached Day 3, Olympian Babita Phogat took her Twitter and said that the protest is only against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and "one person". Indian wrestler Babita posted a stern tweet to Congress asking that they refrain from politicising the situation for their 'own gain.'

Phogat wrote, “The fight of players is not with Prime Minister Mr. @narendramodi ji, Didi @smritiirani ji or @BJP4India. The players battle against the Federation and against one individual. I want to tell the Congress party to stop doing petty politics on the sportspersons' movement for their own benefit.”

 

— Babita Phogat (@BabitaPhogat) January 20, 2023

One of the notable protesters, Bajrang Punia, also made clear his stance and urged against playing politics with the situation. CPM leader Brinda Karat attended the wrestlers on Thursday, but she was requested to exit the stage so that the protest would remain neutral and not take on a political overtone.

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— Bajrang Punia  (@BajrangPunia) January 20, 2023

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— Sakshee Malikkh (@SakshiMalik) January 20, 2023

Due to the fact that Brij Bhushan Singh, a BJP MP from Kaiserganj who has allegations of sexual harassment, is the subject of the wrestlers' ongoing protest, the protest is taking a political turn. As the first member of the party to be elected to the Lok Sabha in 1991, his affiliation with the party is strong.

Anurag Thakur, the union's minister of sports, spoke with the protestors on Thursday. After the wrestlers wrote to PT Usha, the association's president, stating their demands against the union and Brij Bhushan, the Indian Olympic Association called an urgent meeting with the athletes on Friday evening.

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