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‘I Quit Wrestling’ Says Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat Breaks Down After Brij Bhushan Aide Sanjay Singh Becomes WFI Chief

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In the aftermath of Sanjay Kumar Singh’s election as the new chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on December 21, renowned wrestler Sakshi Malik has decided to bid farewell to the sport.

Sanjay Singh, a close associate of the controversial former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, secured victory over Anita Sheoran with a decisive 40 votes to 7, marking a significant shift in WFI leadership.

Back to square one for protesting wrestlers

Despite the fervent efforts of leading wrestlers such as Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik to rally against Brij Bhushan, the election results suggest that their protest has been in vain.

The trio, despite aggressively advocating for a change in leadership, failed to garner sufficient support from their wrestling community. Consequently, a close associate of the BJP MP now assumes the leadership position, signaling a setback for the protesting wrestlers.

Sakshi Malik makes shocking decision

Expressing her discontentment with the election results, Sakshi Malik declared her decision to retire from wrestling during a press conference.

She emphasized the hardships endured, stating, “We slept on the roads for 40 days, and people from various parts of the country came to support us. If Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and close aide assume the WFI presidency, I quit wrestling,” Malik told reporters during a press conference in Delhi.”We have made demands for a woman president. If the president would be a woman, harassment would not happen. But, there was no participation of women earlier and today you can see the list, not even a single woman was given a position. We had fought with complete strength but this fight will continue. The wrestlers of the new generation have to fight,” Malik added.

Vinesh Phogat in tears

In a poignant moment, fellow wrestler Vinesh Phogat, along with Malik and Bajrang Punia, addressed reporters. Despite minimal expectations, Phogat expressed hope for justice, lamenting the uncertainty surrounding the future of wrestling.

“It’s saddening that the future of wrestling is in the dark. To whom shall we convey our grief?… We are still fighting,” she said, tears welling up.

Who is Sanjay Singh?

Sanjay Kumar Singh, affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and hailing from Varanasi, shares a close bond with Brij Bhushan.

Given the outgoing chief’s profound interest in the sport, it is anticipated that Singh will consult him in policy decisions.

Initially facing reservations from Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, these concerns were brought to the attention of Sports Minister Anurag Thakur in a meeting earlier this month.

Big win for Brij Bhushan camp

The Brij Bhushan camp, led by Singh, triumphed in 13 out of the 15 posts, including a clean sweep of all four Vice President positions.

The elected Vice Presidents are Jai Prakash from Delhi (37 votes), Asit Kumar Saha from West Bengal (42 votes), Kartar Singh from Punjab (44 votes), and N Phoni from Manipur (38 votes).

Wrestlers vs Brij Bhushan Singh

Numerous prominent Indian wrestlers levelled accusations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan, targeting women wrestlers, including juniors. They successfully garnered substantial support from diverse segments of society.

However, their protest lost momentum on May 28, the day they planned to march towards the new Parliament building. Delhi police intervened and removed all protesters from Jantar Mantar, citing rioting concerns.

The wrestlers officially terminated their protest on June 7 after receiving assurances from Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. He pledged that none of Brij Bhushan’s family members or close associates would be permitted to participate in the WFI election.

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LS Speaker reprimands Sonia Gandhi over Waqf bill ‘bulldozed’ remarks

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New Delhi, April 4: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday reprimanded former Congress president Sonia Gandhi over her remarks that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was bulldozed through the Parliament.

Taking strong objection to her claims of Waqf Bill passed ‘forcefully’ in the House, Om Birla termed the comments as ‘unfortunate’ and said that the allegations by senior Congress member was a violation of the democratic norms of the Parliament.

The Speaker noted that the bill was discussed for 13 hours and 53 minutes, with every party participating in the debate and followed by three rounds of voting but despite that Congress member was making such allegations.

“Three rounds of voting were conducted, and the Bill was passed according to the rules of the House. It is unfortunate that, despite following all the parliamentary procedures, such allegations are being made. This is not in line with the democratic norms of Parliament,” Speaker said.

Om Birla’s objection to Sonia’s claims of Waqf bill ‘bulldozed through’ the Parliament came after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju raised the matter in Lok Sabha today.

Rijiju, alluding to Congress RS MP Sonia Gandhi, said that extensive discussions took place in both the Houses over the Waqf bill, still the Opposition was making ‘baseless and absurd’ claims that the bill was passed with force.

He also demanded that the Speaker issues an “appropriate order” in response to these remarks.

Rijiju also highlighted that the Waqf reform debate broke the previous record of longest discussion in the Rajya Sabha.

“The previous record for a long discussion in the Rajya Sabha was during the ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) discussion in 1981, which lasted for 16 hours and 51 minutes. Yesterday, this record was broken with a 17-hour and 2-minute discussion, making it the longest debate so far,” he informed the House.

A day ago, after Lok Sabha passed the Waqf Bill after marathon debate, Sonia Gandhi made her displeasure over the amendments known to party leaders, while addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meet yesterday. She stated that the bill was bulldozed through the House and termed it a brazen assault on the Constitution.

“Yesterday, the Wakf Amendment Bill, 2024 was passed in the Lok Sabha and today it is scheduled to come up in the Rajya Sabha. The bill was in effect bulldozed through. Our party’s position is clear. The Bill is a brazen assault on the Constitution itself,” she said.

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After passage from Parliament, Waqf Bill awaits President’s nod: Details here

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New Delhi, April 4: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha in the wee hours of Friday after a marathon debate, involving heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches. The Upper House debated the bill for nearly 14 hours and then cleared it with 128 votes in favour and 95 against.

The legislation was earlier cleared by the Lok Sabha after nearly 12 hours debate, with 288 votes in favour and 232 against.

With this, both the Houses have cleared the decks for amendments in the Waqf Bill of 1995 and repealing the Mussalman Wakf Act of 1923.

The next course of action is the Presidential assent for the bill, following which it will turn into a law.

The Bill will be sent to President Droupadi Murmu soon and her approval will pave the way for amending the 1995 laws, governing Waqf properties.

According to a leading portal, the government is expecting a smaller window for the approval, unlike the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The NDA government, which is projecting the Waqf Amendment Bill as one of key milestone decision in first year of Modi 3.0 is expected to notify it for implementation, soon after getting President’s nod.

Interestingly, one of the major highlights of Rajya Sabha voting last night, was Biju Janata Dal (BJD)’s stand on the contentious bill.

As per the numbers of NDA and INDIA bloc, the bill was expected to sail through in Rajya Sabha but with a lower margin as compared to Lok Sabha. NDA was expected to get support of 123 MPs but ended up securing 128 votes in favour while INDIA bloc ended at 95 (as against expected figure of 98).

Hours before the voting, Naveen Patknaik-led BJD opened the gates for “conscience vote’, telling its 7 MPs that they would not be bound by a whip and could vote for whichever side they wanted.

Some BJD MPs cross-voted in favour of NDA, there bettering its tally than earlier expected. A total of 119 votes was needed for the bill to get through but BJP’s efficient floor management helped it secure 128 votes.

Meanwhile, Congress has stated that it will challenge the constitutionality of the Waqf legislation in the Supreme Court.

“The INC will very soon be challenging in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the Wakf (Amendment) Bill, 2024,” he wrote in a post on X.

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Congress MP Imran Masood calls for banning liquor during Navratri

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Saharanpur, March 29: Congress lawmaker Imran Masood said on Saturday that not just meat shops, liquor establishments should be shut during the nine-day festival of Navratri and called for embracing and promoting the spirit of brotherhood and communal harmony.

“Everybody is demanding a ban on meat shops during Navratri. Why is no one asking for a ban on liquor shops? Why is there no outpouring on the free flow of liquor during Navratri? Will this not spoil the purity and sanctity of the festival?” Saharanpur MP said in a special interaction with media.

The Congress Parliamentarian said that peaceful celebration supersedes everything, and it is incumbent upon all communities to maintain decorum during festivities and also make certain sacrifices, be it Eid or Navratri.

Notably, Eid-ul-Fitr and Navratri are coinciding on the same day this year. Both festivals are set to fall on Monday, with little possibility of change in the Eid schedule on account of moon sighting.

Days ago, the Congress MP also extended support to the demands of a meat ban during Navratri celebrations. In an apparent message to the Muslim community, he said that nothing would change if one did not eat meat for ten days.

“What matters above everything is the peaceful co-existence of communities. At no point in time, the differences over food preferences lead to communal strife,” Masood told newspersons.

Congress MP, when asked questions on the party’s strategy for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, said that the Opposition is fully prepared to take on the Centre on “partisan legislation”.

“We opposed the amendments in the JPC meeting, tooth and nail. We will strongly voice our dissent in Parliament too,” he said.

Notably, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the Waqf Bill will not be delayed any further and will be reintroduced in the ongoing session of Parliament.

Only four working days of the Budget Session are left, as it concludes on April 4.

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