Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has reignited controversy after top Indian wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat joined the Congress party. A day after the wrestlers’ political shift, Brij Bhushan claimed that this development proves his long-standing allegation that the protests led by the wrestlers last year were orchestrated by the Congress as part of a “conspiracy” against him.

In an interview with ANI on Saturday, Singh recalled his statement from January 2023 when the protests first erupted at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. He claimed that the demonstrations, which were initially seen as a fight for justice for women wrestlers, were politically motivated from the start.

“On 18th January 2023, when the protest started at Jantar Mantar, I said this is not a movement of sportspersons; Congress is behind it. Especially Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda, Priyanka ji, and Rahul ji. This is a movement of Congress. And today, it has been proven,” Singh remarked, accusing the Congress and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda of orchestrating the protests.

The former WFI chief also alleged that the protests were not genuinely concerned with the dignity of women athletes, asserting that they had caused embarrassment to the daughters of Haryana. “They were not fighting for the honour of daughters; they were fighting for politics,” Singh said, further accusing Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda of exploiting the situation for political gains.

Singh reiterated his innocence in the allegations made against him by the wrestlers, stating, “I am not guilty of disrespecting daughters. If anyone is guilty, it is Bajrang, Vinesh, and the scriptwriter Bhupinder Hooda.”

These comments come just a day after Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, both acclaimed wrestlers with numerous accolades, officially joined Congress. The timing of their entry into the party is significant, as Haryana is set to face assembly elections in a month. Within hours of their joining, Vinesh Phogat was named the Congress candidate for the Julana constituency, while Bajrang Punia was appointed as the working president of the All India Kisan Congress.

(With inputs from ANI.)