Congress asks why PM silent on wrestlers issue

New Delhi: Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “silence” over the sexual harassment charge against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the Congress on Tuesday said that the government is facing a test from India’s daughters.

Hitting out at the government, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate asked when will PM Modi expel Singh, who is also the outgoing Wrestling Federation of India chief, from the BJP and when will he be arrested?

Notably, Delhi Police had on June 15 filed a chargesheet against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for the offences of sexual harassment and stalking six women wrestlers and also recommended the cancellation of a complaint filed by a minor wrestler against him.

“Why is Prime Minister Modi silent on the issue of sexual harassment against women sportspersons? When will Modi ji expel MP Brij Bhushan Singh from the party? When will Brij Bhushan Singh be arrested? When will the Modi government stop giving protection and patronising Brij Bhushan Singh,” Shrinate asked. “You and your government are facing a test Modi, not from the Opposition but from India’s daughters,” she said.

She further claimed that the Delhi Police, in its chargesheet, has accused Singh of sexual harassment, stalking and intimidation and has asked the court to initiate action to prosecute him. In a tweet, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that going by law and ethics, a person accused of atrocities against women should be removed from his post, fair investigation should be done, he should be arrested and punished in the court of law.

“But in the BJP government, why is the one accused of atrocities against women players who brought laurels to the country protected and why is the matter being hushed up during investigation? Why is the entire government silent on this matter? Why is the accused still in the BJP and why no action has been taken?” she asked. Shrinate further said that women wrestlers had levelled sexual harassment allegations against Brij Bhushan Singh to the oversight committee constituted in January. “But the panel ignored those. Not only that, even in the report submitted to the Sports Ministry, the committee remained silent on the allegations,” the Congress leader claimed. She claimed that 15 of the 108 people the Delhi police spoke to during the investigation have confirmed the charges of sexual harassment, stalking, threatening and intimidation against Brij Bhushan Singh.

“Yet, it is ironic that the six-member oversight committee set up by the government under the chairmanship of Mary Kom ignored these very allegations. During the hearing in February, the wrestlers made allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan Singh while testifying before the Oversight Committee set up by the government,” she said.