'BJP pawn vs Congress puppet': Sakshi Malik, Babita Phogat slug it out

PTI

New Delhi, June 18

In an ugly war of words, Sakshi Malik accused former wrestler and BJP leader Babita Phogat of siding with the government during their protest against the WFI chief while the latter claimed that the Rio Games bronze medallist had become a “Congress’ puppet”.

Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadian had on Saturday asserted that the wrestlers’ protest was not politically motivated and in no way it was inspired by Congress as it was BJP leaders Babita and Teerath Rana, who had helped them in taking police permission for the sit-in at Jantar Mantar. On Sunday, quoting their Saturday video, Malik tweeted that they had taken a dig at Babita and Rana about how “they tried to use the wrestlers for their selfish motives but the satire was not understood for the lack of sense of humour”.

“In the video (posted on Saturday), we had commented how Teerath Rana and Babita Phogat were trying to use wrestlers for their selfish motives and how when the wrestlers were in trouble, they opted to sit on the lap of the government. We are definitely in trouble, but the sense of humour should not become so weak that a joke cracked on the powerful could not be understood,” the tweet read.

Babita, who had mediated between the wrestlers and the government during the grapplers’ three-day protest in January, tweeted a long reply to Malik and claimed that she had nothing to do with their protest since she was against the agitation on roa.

“It pained me and also made me laugh when I saw the video posted by my younger sister and her husband. Let me make it clear that the letter, seeking police permission, does not carry my signature. I have nothing to do with that,” she wrote, completely pulling herself away from the protest.

“...I repeatedly told them to meet the Prime Minister or the Home Minister for a solution but you saw solution with Deepender Hooda, Congress and Priyanka Gandhi, who themselves were accompanied by rape accused people.

“.......your video will make people understand that how shameful it was on your part to start a march on the inauguration day of new Parliament building and then talking about immersing medals in Ganga river. People of this country have understood that you have become a Congress’ puppet. Now is the time that you reveal your real motive because people are asking questions,” wrote Babita.

Rana denied the allegations that he had used the wrestlers for selfish motives. “The wrestlers came and met me (before staging the protest) and they told us that they were being exploited. We said we are with our sisters and daughters. I am with the athletes in the fight for justice. I was there with them before and I am now as well,” Rana said in a video.

The video was shared in the WhatsApp group that was created to disseminate information to media during the protest. The Rana video was later deleted from the group. “Wrestlers are the pride of the nation and the respect of sportspersons is uppermost on the minds of the BJP, and I also respect them a lot.,” said Rana in the video.

The country’s top wrestlers have accused outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment and demanded his arrest.

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