April 14, 2026 09:52 pm (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
'ECI deviated from Bihar procedure': Supreme Court raises concerns over voter deletion in Bengal SIR | Noida workers’ protest turns violent: Stones pelted, vehicles damaged over wage hike demand | Oil prices jump above $103 a barrel as US moves to block Iran-linked shipping | I don’t care if they come back or not, says Trump after Iran talks collapse | Legendary singer Asha Bhosle suffers cardiac arrest, hospitalised | Big boost to India–Mauritius ties: S. Jaishankar hands over 90 e-buses | Middle East tension: Iranian delegation arrives in Islamabad for major talks, 10,000 security personnel deployed | Ranveer Singh visits RSS HQ amid Dhurandhar 2 success, triggers speculation | ED raids ex-Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee; SSC scam resurfaces ahead of polls | Amit Shah promises UCC, ₹3,000 aid per month for women and youth in BJP’s Bengal manifesto
Wrestlers Protest

'Congress puppet': BJP's Babita Phogat responds to Sakshi Malik's video message on wrestlers' protest

| @indiablooms | Jun 19, 2023, at 04:53 am

New Delhi: Babita Phogat, a prominent BJP leader and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, firmly rejected Sakshi Malik and Satyawart Kadian’s claim in connection with the permission for the sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in January.

Phogat dismissed their allegations, portraying the couple as mere "puppets under the influence of the Congress."

Phogat's response came after Malik and Kadian posted a video statement, where they asserted that they had obtained permission from Phogat and Tirath Rana, another BJP leader, to protest against the Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment, assault, and stalking of seven women wrestlers, including a minor.

In a long statement posted on her Hindi Twitter account, Phogat clarified that there was no evidence to show her consent on the permission document shown by Malik in the video statement. She emphasized that the document was completely had no connection with her.

Phogat stated that she had never supported the wrestlers' protest from the very beginning.

She reiterated that she had consistently advised them to approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to address the matter, assuring them that the necessary solutions would be provided through that channel.

Phogat claimed that they sought help from Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Deepender Hooda, who are themselves guilty of many cases.

She would always stand with her fellow wrestlers of the country but she was "sad and laughing" at the same time when she saw the video statement of Malik and Kadiyan.

The BJP leader expressed her opinion that the wrestlers' march to the new Parliament building and their decision to immerse their medals in the river Ganga had caused embarrassment to the nation.

In her statement, Phogat said the people of the country have understood that the protesting wrestlers have become a puppet in the hands of the Congress and they should reveal their actual intentions as people are now asking them questions.

Earlier on Sunday, Sakshi Malik clarified that they had actually taunted Phogat and Rana in the video message to convey how they were trying to use the protesting wrestlers for their selfish motives.

 

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.