Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress general secretary, slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday after Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh reportedly said he will resign if top party leaders ask him to, saying "justice is waiting for your 'yes'." Faced with accusations of sexual harassment from some of India's best wrestlers, WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh allegedly stated that he will resign if any of the senior leaders ask him to.
“If the PM asks, I will resign immediately. Even if (Union home minister) Amit Shah and (BJP President) JP Nadda ask, I will do so,” Singh stated, News24 reported.
Taking to Twitter, Priyanka Gandhi stated: “@narendramodi ji keh dijiye. Nyay ko aapki ‘haan’ ka intezaar hai (@narendramodi ji tell him. Justice awaits your 'yes')."
Following the Supreme Court's intervention, two FIRs were filed against the BJP MP, the first relating to allegations levelled by a minor and registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) concerning outraging modesty.
Protests against the WFI chairman erupted in January, but the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the government quickly defused the situation by appointing an investigation panel. Top Indian wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat, among others, repeated their call for action against the BJP leader last week.
On Monday, Singh stated that owing to protests by the country's best wrestlers, all activity in the sport had came to a halt in the previous four months. The WFI president further stated that he is willing to be "hanged," but that wrestling activities, including national championships and camps, should not be halted since it would be bad to cadet and junior wrestlers.