The Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh saga in Indian wrestling is not yet over. Not even close.
The script for his second run is already written and it will be enacted on 12 August when the long-delayed elections of the Wrestling Federation of India are to be held.
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur had earlier made the error of assuring the then agitating wrestlers that he would not allow Singh and his associates to contest these WFI elections. This actually showed the Government's direct involvement in the affairs of a National Sports Federation, specially the elections, which goes directly against the Olympic Charter.
However, after making that mistake, he has repeated it by not ensuring that Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, an accused in a sexual harassment case, stays away from the affair of WFI, directly or indirectly.
But so much is the BJP MP's involvement in the current elections that he publicly held a meeting of 22 voting states at a New Delhi hotel on Sunday to 'discuss candidature' and on Monday, before the candidates went to file their nomination he told the media - 'Me and my family are not standing in the election but we have the upper hand. We always will. Who can stop that'
Brij Bhushan even visited the Indian Olympic Association office on the last day of nomination for WFI elections on Monday.
'Today is the last day of nominations, members from 22 state associations were here and they came to meet and are now going for filing their nominations,' Brij Bhushan told media persons.
Here it may be recalled that just two days back the International Olympic Committee had refused to recognise the election of Sheikh Talal, brother of suspended IOC Member Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah, as President of Olympic Council of Asia because of the involvement of Sheikh Ahmad. James Macleod, Director, Olympic Solidarity and NOC Relations had asked acting OCA President, Randhir Singh to continue till a solution was found.
Meanwhile, if the scene on Monday, 31 July, at the Olympic Bhawan in Delhi is any indication, Singh is still in command. About 200 of his supporters are reported to have swarmed the headquarters of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on the last day of filing the nominations. From Singh’s camp, his followers have filed nominations for all 15 posts. Interestingly, two of them – Sanjay Singh and Jai Prakash – have filed nominations for the post of the President.
Brij Bhushan cannot himself contest for the post of WFI President. He is ineligible having already completed 12 years as head of the federation -- the maximum period allowed as per the National Sports Code. His son Karan is also not part of the electoral college, abiding by the Anurag Thakur assurance. His son-in-law Vishal Singh though is part of the 50 voting members in the election, representing Bihar. He was also present at the IOA office when the Brij Bhushan faction were filing their nominations on Monday.
Besides Singh’s close aide, Sanjay Singh from UP, Darshan Lal from the Chandigarh wrestling body filed his nomination for the post of general secretary, while SP Deswal from Uttarakhand filed his nomination for the post of treasurer from the Brij Bhushan camp. The camp claims to have the support of 22 of the 25 state units and, after filing their nominations, expressed “confidence” of winning all 15 posts.
Anita Sheoran Leading Rival Faction
From the rival camp, 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, freestyle wrestler Anita Sheoran is contesting for the post of President. She is an Inspector in Haryana Police and also the lone female candidate in the fray. Joining her is Dushyant Singh, another Policeman, SSP from J&K Police. Prem Chand Lochab, Secretary of the Railway Sports Promotion Board, is also in their panel, fighting for the post of Secretary General.
The main battle will of course begin once the final list of the contestants is released by the Returning Officer, Justise (retd) M M Kumar after scrutiny later on Tuesday, 1 August. But whispers have already started in the corridors about the expected pressure from bosses in their respective offices in the case of candidates working in various Government departments.
Questions are likely to be raised for their No Objection Certificate (NOC). The protesting wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, had often accused Singh of manipulating their complaint against him with the connivance of Delhi Police. If these wrestlers are to be believed, now it will be far easier for Singh, a Member of Parliament from the ruling BJP party, to stop or at least make an attempt to do so in the case of Lochab, an Indian Railway Service Officer.
Incidentally Lochab is celebrating his birthday on 1 August. It will be interesting to know whether the birthday boy gets a present on August 12 or just the bumps!
(Norris Pritam is a journalist having spent over three decades covering Indian sports.)
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