Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia criticize Centre’s decision to award Lok Sabha ticket to former WFI chief Brij Bhushan’s son – Firstpost

Ace Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik on Thursday slammed former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan for getting a ticket to contest the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, the calling it a “defeat for the girls of India”.

Malik, who had won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was among the key members of the wrestlers’ agitation against Brij Bhushan last year after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Kaiserganj, Uttar Pradesh, was accused of sexually harassing several female wrestlers during his tenure. tenure as head of the WFI.

Besides Malik, Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Bajrang Punia and two-time World Championships bronze medalist Vinesh Phogat had also participated in the protest which began at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and later spread to other other cities, including Haridwar in Uttarakhand.

The ruling BJP has announced Karan Bhushan as its candidate from Kaiserganj constituency to replace his father.

“The girls of the country lost, Brij Bhushan won,” Malik wrote in a post on X, reacting to the development.

“We put our careers on the line, sleeping on the streets, enduring the heat and the rain. Brij Bhushan has not been arrested to date. We asked for nothing other than justice.

“Forget the arrest, his son has now received a ticket which has broken the morale of millions of girls in the country,” Malik added, tagging Vinesh and Bajrang in the post.

Malik also questioned the Narendra Modi-led government on its promise to take action against Brij Bhushan, against whom the Delhi Police had filed an FIR at the height of the wrestlers’ protest last year, accusing the Center of showing weakness on the issue.

“The ticket will be given to one family, is the government really so weak against one man?

“They are only seeking votes on the name of Lord Ram, why not follow his teachings? » Malik added.

Bajrang joined Malik in criticizing the party’s decision to give ticket to Brij Bhushan’s son.

बीजेपी अपने आपको दुनिया की सबसे बड़ी पार्टी नती है पर अपने लाखों कार्यकर्ताओं में से बृजभू षण के बेटे को टिकट टिकट दिय.

पंजाब हरियाणा के आंदोलनों में एक नारा यहाँ के लोग लगाते हैं, «सरकारों से ना आस करो, अपनी tiedखवाली परो।»… pic.twitter.com/6xvFMnfjAT

– Bajrang Punia 🇮🇳 (@BajrangPunia) May 2, 2024

“The BJP considers itself the largest party in the world, but despite thousands of karyakartas, it chose to give the ticket to Brij Bhushan’s son, that too at a time when it remained silent on the Prajwal Revanna controversy” , wrote Bajrang on X. .

“During the unrest in Punjab and Haryana, people say: ‘Do not depend on the government, your welfare is in your hands’”

“It is the misfortune of the country that the medal-winning girls are dragged into the streets and the one who sexually harassed them gets his son fined,” Bajrang added.