A day after wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the Congress party, former Wrestling Federation of India president and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh claimed that this move confirms the wrestlers' protest was a "conspiracy" against him, orchestrated by the Congress party.
On 18th January 2023 when the protest started at Jantar Mantar, I had said that this is not a movement of sportspersons, Congress is behind it, especially Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda, Priyanka, Rahul, this is a movement of Congress. And today this thing has been proved true. In this entire movement, the conspiracy that happened against us, Congress was involved in it and Bhupinder Hooda was leading it.
Watch:
"I want to tell the people of Haryana that Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda, Bajrang or Vinesh, they were not sitting (on protest) for the respect of girls. Due to them, the daughters of Haryana are facing embarrassment. We are not responsible for it, Bhupinder Hooda and Deependra Hooda and these protesters are responsible for it. What will they answer on the day when it will be proved that I was not present in Delhi on the day of the incident on which allegations are being made? They used daughters for politics, defamed daughters. They were not fighting for the honour of daughters, they were fighting for politics."
Also Read| Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia Join Congress Ahead of Haryana Assembly Election 2024 (Watch Video).
Earlier on Friday, renowned wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the Congress party, just a month ahead of the Haryana assembly elections. Punia, a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, and Phogat, the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the Olympic final in Paris last month, also resigned from their respective positions in Northern Railways on the same day.