We didn’t win the 1983 World Cup for Indira Gandhi, and Sakshi didn’t take home an Olympic medal for PM Modi, says Kirti Azad.All-arounder Kirti Azad, a member of the class of ’83, criticised the Indian government for failing to detain WFI President and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in accordance with the POCSO Act.
Kirti Azad, a former all-rounder for India and leader of the All India Trinamool Congress, has accused the Narendra Modi-led BJP government of failing to take any action against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, head of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and a BJP lawmaker.
Since the first day, I’ve started speaking louder. The team made its decision after realising how brutally the players had been treated on May 28th, while they were participating in a nonviolent protest, according to Azad, speaking to The Indian Express.
The female wrestlers wanted to throw their medals into the Ganga because they were so angry. We first saw it at this point because, just like these wrestlers, who are our pride, those medals are not only theirs but also a source of national pride.“They deserve justice immediately because justice delayed is justice denied. It’s been over six months that no action has been taken,” he added.
The top Indian wrestlers who have been protesting against WFI president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual exploitation and harassment, have received the support of Indian cricket legends Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, and the 1983 World Cup winning team, with the exception of Roger Binny, on Friday.
Kapil, Gavaskar, Madan, and Class of 83 show their support for the protest, which is in response to the statement, “Manhandling of wrestlers disturbing… don’t throw your medals in Ganga.” Class of 83 came out in favour, without BCCI president Roger Binny.
Azad questioned the tone-deaf silence of PM Narendra Modi and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar after they ‘never hesitated in snapping photographs’ with Sakshi Malik after she won the bronze medal at the Olympics in Rio.
For Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1983, we didn’t take home the World Cup. Whenever someone claims that a demonstration is political, I find it to be very odd. Sakshi Malik, the first female grappler to win a medal in Rio 2016, didn’t win it for the BJP or Narendra Modi. She did it for the country, the former all-rounder for India remarked.
Mr. Modi had no qualms about posing for photos with the medal and the medalist. Sakshi was appointed as the brand ambassador for beti bachao and beti padhao in Haryana by Mr. Khattar. They have since stopped speaking, not even tweeting about the whole thing. They were having a good time shooting pictures, but now they are keeping quiet to protect their own.
Azad, who participated in 142 first-class games, including seven Test matches, has criticised the government for failing to detain Brij Bhushan Singh, who is the subject of at least 15 complaints of sexual harassment.
“The grapplers complied with the law. They approached the administration in January. A committee was created under Mary Kom, a pride of another country, with justification. The 30-day window was offered to them, but nothing happened.