BJP reportedly imposed a gag order on Brij Bhushan Singh over remarks on Phogat, Punia joining Congress

The BJP has asked former party MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh not to make comments about Olympic wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, media reports said on Sunday (September 8).

This came shortly after Singh, who once headed the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), criticised the two athletes for joining the Congress party ahead of the Haryana state assembly elections.

During a media interview, Singh said that while Vinesh and Bajrang became famous for their success in wrestling, their decision to join Congress would damage their reputation.

Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia were among the key figures in last year’s wrestling protest, who accused Singh of misbehaving towards younger wrestlers.

Singh, in an interview to PTI, said: “They (Punia and Ms Phogat) were the faces… they were mohrey (pawns). They were used as pawns by (former Haryana Chief Minister) Bhupinder Hooda, the Congress and the Congress family.”

“All this was to gain control over the Wrestling Federation of India and to attack the BJP and its ideology… This team of Rahul (Gandhi), the Congress, keeps doing these kinds of things,” he added.

Singh also said that Vinesh and Bajrang were wrong if they thought they could win the upcoming elections. “They can contest any Assembly seat in Haryana, a small BJP candidate will defeat them,” PTI quoted him as saying.

Vinesh Phogat will contest from Julana Assembly seat in Haryana on Congress ticket. Meanwhile, Bajrang Punia has been appointed as the leader of All India Kisan Congress and will be involved in the election campaign.

On September 6, Phogat and Punia joined the Congress and said they would “not be afraid or back down.” Phogat criticized the BJP after joining the Congress and said they supported Singh while the Congress supported the wrestlers during their protests when they were “dragged on the roads” in Delhi.

(With input from agencies)