Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh says there is no chance of any compromise
Vinayak Padmadeo
New Delhi, August 1
In perhaps the first sign of his defiance against the government, outgoing Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has made it clear that his entire panel will stand for the August 12 elections.
WFI election
There is no scope for any compromise with anyone now. I will go on record to say that everyone who has filed from my panel will fight the elections. There is no going back. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
The BJP MP, who is out on bail in the sexual harassment case filed by six women wrestlers, also denied being in touch with either Sports Minister Anurag Thakur or any of the ministry official to try and accommodate nominees from the rival panel.
Anita Sheoran, who is a witness in the sexual harassment case against Singh and Dushyant Sharma, has filed her nomination for the president’s post against Sharan Singh’s nominee Sanjay Singh.
“There is no scope for any compromise with anyone now,” Sharan Singh told The Tribune. “I will go on record to say that everyone who has filed from my panel will fight the elections. There is no going back,” he added.
Sharan Singh was reacting to rumours that he was in touch with the government to accommodate a few candidates, including Railways Sports Control Board secretary Prem Chand Lochab, in the new executive. Lochab is close to the protesting wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik.
“I have not spoken to the Sports Minister since the day these wrestlers sat on the dharna for the second time, so I am not talking to anyone. Hope I made myself clear,” Sharan Singh said.
Sharan Singh is also angry that a few persons from the Sports Ministry are actively getting involved in the elections. “They threatened the brother of the Madhya Pradesh unit’s secretary because he is a railways employee. A similar attempt was made in Rajasthan and Jharkhand,” said a source. “They have added names of Lochab, Anita and a few others in clear contravention of the bylaws. So, all this has really angered a lot of the state bodies,” he added.
