New Delhi, India

Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik on Tuesday (Oct 22) alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Babita Phogat was one of the prime figures behind the 2023 wrestlers' protest. Sakshi, one of the faces behind the agitation, along with Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, claimed that they were helped by Babita and Tirath Rana to get permission for the protest. According to Sakshi, Babita’s motive was to dethrone then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment by wrestlers.

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Sakshi makes massive revelation

“Babita Phogat approached us with the idea of protesting against Brij Bhushan Singh because she had her own agenda — she wanted to become the WFI president. There are rumours that Congress supported our protest, but that’s false. In fact, two BJP leaders helped us secure permission to protest in Haryana – Babita Phogat and Tirath Rana,” Malik said while speaking to India Today.

In 2023, the wrestlers’ protest occupied political centrestage, with more than 40 athletes protesting against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was a MP from the ruling party BJP. The protest started in January 2023, with Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat (Babita's cousin sister) leading the protest.

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The revelation has sparked a huge debate, raising a potential conflict between Babita and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who both belong to the BJP. Since the wrestlers’ protest, plenty of water has flown under the bridge, with Vinesh qualifying for the gold medal match of the women’s 50kg category at the Paris Olympics before being disqualified for being overweight. On the other hand, Bajrang was unable to secure qualification for the Paris Games.

Interestingly, Vinesh later joined the opposition party Indian National Congress (INC), contested the Haryana assembly elections, and won from the Julana seat with over 6000 votes on her political and electoral debut.