BJP tells Brij Bhushan not to comment on Phogat-Punia issue

LUCKNOW: In a recent development, the saffron camp has reportedly issued a ‘gag order' for its former MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, urging him to refrain from making comments on national wrestlers and medal winners. The order was issued soon after Singh appeared on news channels and shared his views on Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joining the Congress in the past few days.

Singh had said that the Hooda family (Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender Singh Hooda) was instrumental in instigating the duo against him. "The Hooda family used their sisters and daughters to tarnish my image and that of BJP and party's senior leaders," Singh had said.

Singh likened the situation he had faced almost two years ago to the scene that unfolded in the Mahabharata when Draupadi was put at stake during a gambling session battle between the warring sides.

According to sources, senior BJP brass directed Singh to avoid issuing additional comments over the wrestlers who pointed fingers at him in the past. The former chief of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had said that Phogat let the nation down at the Olympics and encroached upon the opportunities of her juniors who were more meritorious and efficient than her, by forcibly participating in the global competition.

Singh's recent comments and the ones issued in the past have drawn sharp criticism from various quarters.

The six-time MP has repeatedly claimed that former Haryana chief minister Hooda plotted against him after his son Deepender Singh Hooda lost the WFI elections. Singh had gained control of the WFI in 2012 after a bitter turf war.

Phogat and Punia, along with fellow Olympian Sakshi Malik, had spearheaded the agitation against Singh. The BJP's reported 'gag order' is seen as an attempt to prevent further escalation of the controversy surrounding the wrestlers and former WFI chief.


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