'Nothing Proven Yet': Sitharaman Defends BJP Decision To Field Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's Son For LS Polls

There are multiple allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan, the former Wrestling Federation of India chief and incumbent Kaisergnj MP, from Indian wrestlers.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has defended the Bharatiya Janta Party’s (BJP's) decision to field incumbent MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s younger son Karan Singh from the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency. There are multiple allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan, the former Wrestling Federation of India chief, from Indian wrestlers.

On Thursday, BJP named Karan Bhushan Singh as its Lok Sabha candidate from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking in Pune on Saturday, Sitharaman said nothing had been proven yet against Brij Bhushan and he hadn't been convicted of anything. She added that people could have questioned the BJP’s decision if the allegations had been proved.

“How many people are there whose fathers, mothers or uncles have been accused of serious crimes, but they have still got tickets? All parties do it. Even children of people who have been convicted get tickets. And here nothing is proven against Brij Bhushan yet. If it was, you could have asked us why. How can we decide on our own that he is doshi (guilty)?” she was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

The Delhi Police filed a charge sheet against six-time Lok Sabha MP Brij Bhushan Singh on June 15, 2023, invoking sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case was initiated following a month-long protest led by prominent wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshee Malikkh, among others, demanding justice for the alleged victims.

FM Comment On Prajwal Revanna

She also commented on the issue of Prajwal Revanna, an MP representing BJP ally JD(S), and the sexual harassment allegations against him. 

“But all this happened in a state run by the Congress. They knew of the situation and were in possession of the pen drive since a year. But they kept quiet, choosing to reveal all just before the elections. So they were playing games and not taking up any causes of women’s safety,” Sitharaman said, as quoted by The Indian Express.