BRS team visits Jantar Mantar, supports wrestlers fighting against sexual harassment
The BRS has expressed its solidarity with Indian wrestlers who have been staging a relentless protest against alleged sexual harassment by WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and coaches
NEW DELHI: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has expressed its solidarity with the Indian wrestlers who have been staging a relentless protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against alleged sexual harassment by Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and coaches.
Telangana Sports Minister V Srinivas Goud, accompanied by BRS floor leader in Lok Sabha Nama Nageswara Rao, four other MPs and other leaders, visited the protest venue at Jantar Mantar on Thursday and lent his party’s support to their agitation. As part of their ongoing agitation, about 30 Indian wrestlers including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya staged a silent sit-in protest on Thursday.
The BRS delegation led by Srinivas Goud met the protesting wrestlers and expressed the party’s solidarity with them. The Telangana minister also tweeted later in the day about meeting the agitating wrestlers and hoped that they would get justice soon in their fight.
Earlier, speaking at the protest venue, Srinivas Goud criticised the BJP-led NDA government for its hypocrisy in treating women to suit its convenience. “On one side, they (BJP-led Centre) go all out to own women athletes, describing them as the ‘daughters of India’, when they win medals in sports events. But, on the other hand, they are turning a blind eye to the women wrestlers who are crying foul about sexual harassment. Are these not India’s daughters? What is happening in the country?
“They claim to respect Indian women and our culture. Is this how they respect them? Any MP, regardless of party affiliations, should be shunted out (of position) if they misbehave with women. Not just the whole of India, the entire world is watching what’s happening in the country right now. The BRS, led by our supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), stands with the wrestlers in their fight for justice,” the minister said.
The Indian wrestlers are on a warpath demanding the removal of BJP MP and WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. They allege sexual harassment of women wrestlers by the federation president and several other coaches at various levels.