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Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
A Rajput show of strength as Brij Bhushan visits wrestling heartland
The Opposition MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh made an appearance as chief guest at an event in Haryana's wrestling backyard on Sunday. The leader who is facing sexual harassment allegations from several wrestlers was invited to an event to felicitate wrestler Rachna Parmar, in Bond Kalan village of Charkhi Dadri district. Parmar, a member of the Rajput community, recently won a gold medal in the women's 43 kg category at the Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championship in Vietnam. Charkhi Dadri is also the home district of Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who is currently a Congress MLA from Julana in Jind district. In 2023, Phogat was among the wrestlers who led a protest in Delhi against Singh over the sexual harassment allegations. Singh was invited, along with local BJP MLA Sunil Sangwan and Lok Sabha MP Dharambir Singh, for the felicitation event by the Rajput Mahasabha. Both members of the Jat community like Phogat, Sangwan and Dharambir reportedly left the venue before Singh's arrival, citing time constraints. However, this is being viewed as an effort to avoid ruffling feathers of the Jat community, given the caste equations in Haryana. Several khap leaders from the region had publicly opposed Singh's visit, and urged the organisers not to invite him. In a statement, local khap leader Krishan Phogat said: 'Such persons come to break brotherhood, not to unite. The local MLA and MP should not attend the function either.' However, the Rajput Mahasabha leader from Charkhi Dadri, Pawan Sanjarwas, called those opposing the visit 'anti-social elements' and warned that they would be 'taught a lesson' if they even tried to protest. Speaking to The Indian Express, Sanjarwas said the opposition to Singh had only helped the Rajput Mahasabha. 'It led to more presence at the felicitation event.' Sanjarwas also said that Rajput votes would consolidate behind the BJP with Singh's visit. Colonel (retd) Devender Singh Rana, a Rajput community leader from Karnal, also supported the visit, saying it would help make a political impact. The Rajput community, estimated to be around 8% of Haryana's population, is concentrated mainly in the districts of Rewari, Mahendragarh, Gurgaon Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Ambala, and Karnal, Rana said. According to him, this translated into electoral sway in 17 of the 90 Assembly constituencies. Still, as of now, Haryana has only two Rajput MLAs – Shyam Singh Rana (Radaur), who is a minister in the BJP's Nayab Singh Saini government, and Yoginder Singh Rana (Assandh). While the Rajput community is traditionally considered a BJP vote bank, cracks had surfaced in 2023 over the controversy surrounding a statue of 9th-century king Mihir Bhoj. Thirty-five BJP leaders from Kaithal had threatened to resign after some party members from the Gurjar community referred to the king as 'Gurjar Pratihar Samrat Mihir Bhoj' during a statue unveiling. The contention of the Rajput community is that Mihir Bhoj belongs to the community and should be referred to as 'Hindu Samrat' instead. The matter is currently pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Vinod Rana Thamber, a Rajput leader from Ambala, said Singh's visit should not be seen in the context of politics. 'The event organised in Bond Kalan village was just a social function to honour a member of the community.' Sukhbir Siwach's extensive and in-depth coverage of farmer agitation against three farm laws during 2020-21 drew widespread attention. ... Read More
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
A Rajput show of strength as Brij Bhushan makes star appearance in Haryana wrestling heartland
THE OPPOSITION from some khap panchayats notwithstanding, former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and ex-BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh made an appearance as chief guest at an event in Haryana's wrestling backyard Sunday. The leader who is facing sexual harassment allegations from several wrestlers was invited to an event to felicitate wrestler Rachna Parmar, in Bond Kalan village of Charkhi Dadri district. Parmar, a member of the Rajput community, recently won a gold medal in the women's 43 kg category at the Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championship in Vietnam. Charkhi Dadri is also the home district of Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who is currently a Congress MLA from Julana in Jind district. In 2023, Phogat was among the wrestlers who led a protest in Delhi against Singh over the sexual harassment allegations. Brij Bhushan was invited, along with local BJP MLA Sunil Sangwan and Lok Sabha MP Dharambir Singh, for the felicitation event by the Rajput Mahasabha. Both members of the Jat community like Phogat, Sangwan and Dharambir reportedly left the venue before Singh's arrival, citing time constraints. However, this is being viewed as an effort to avoid ruffling the feathers of the Jat community, given the caste equations in Haryana. Several khap leaders from the region had publicly opposed Brij Bhushan's visit, and urged the organisers not to invite him. In a statement, local khap leader Krishan Phogat said: 'Such persons come to break brotherhood, not to unite. The local MLA and MP should not attend the function either.' However, the Rajput Mahasabha leader from Charkhi Dadri, Pawan Sanjarwas, called those opposing the visit 'anti-social elements' and warned that they would be 'taught a lesson' if they even tried to protest. Sanjarwas told The Indian Express the opposition to Brij Bhushan had only helped the Rajput Mahasabha. 'It led to more presence at the felicitation event.' Sanjarwas also said that Rajput votes would consolidate behind the BJP with Brij Bhushan's visit. Colonel (retd) Devender Singh Rana, a Rajput community leader from Karnal, also supported the visit, saying it would help make a political impact. The Rajput community, estimated to be around 8% of Haryana's population, is concentrated mainly in the districts of Rewari, Mahendragarh, Gurgaon Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Ambala, and Karnal, Rana said. According to him, this translated into electoral sway in 17 of the 90 Assembly constituencies. Still, as of now, Haryana has only two Rajput MLAs – Shyam Singh Rana (Radaur), who is a minister in the BJP's Nayab Singh Saini government, and Yoginder Singh Rana (Assandh). While the Rajput community is traditionally considered a BJP vote bank, cracks had surfaced in 2023 over the controversy surrounding a statue of 9th-century king Mihir Bhoj. Thirty-five BJP leaders from Kaithal had threatened to resign after some party members from the Gurjar community referred to the king as 'Gurjar Pratihar Samrat Mihir Bhoj' during a statue unveiling. The contention of the Rajput community is that Mihir Bhoj belongs to the community and should be referred to as 'Hindu Samrat' instead. The matter is currently pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Vinod Rana Thamber, a Rajput leader from Ambala, said Brij Bhushan's visit should not be seen in the context of politics. 'The event organised in Bond Kalan village was just a social function to honour a member of the community.'
Hindustan Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Khaps, farmer unions to protest Brij Bhushan's visit at wrestler's felicitation
Representatives of various Khap panchayats and farmer organisations have announced that they will show black flags to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), during his visit to Bond Kalan village on Sunday. Singh is expected to attend a felicitation ceremony honouring Asian gold medallist wrestler Rachna Parmar. Phogat Khap's acting president, Krishan Phogat, objected strongly, stating, 'Brij Bhushan's name has come up in a sexual harassment case that is currently under judicial consideration. Such individuals should not be welcomed at social gatherings.' (HT File) Parmar recently won a gold medal at the Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championship held in Vietnam. The event's organisers had extended invitations to Bhiwani-Mahendergarh MP Dharambir Singh, Dadri BJP MLA Suneel Sangwan, and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to participate in the celebration. However, opposition to Singh's presence has been mounting. Phogat Khap's acting president, Krishan Phogat, objected strongly, stating, 'Brij Bhushan's name has come up in a sexual harassment case that is currently under judicial consideration. Such individuals should not be welcomed at social gatherings.' He also accused Singh of targeting former wrestler Vinesh Phogat. 'He ran a smear campaign against our daughter, Vinesh. His presence only seeks to divide the community. The BJP MLA and MP should refrain from attending if they support him,' he said. Echoing similar concerns, Athgama Khap chief Ranbir Singh said the organisers should reflect on their decision to invite Singh to the event. On the other hand, Pawan Kumar, media coordinator of the Charkhi Dadri Rajput Mahasabha, criticised the protest calls. He said, 'Some self-styled leaders are trying to politicise the visit. Rachna Parmar, like many others, belongs to the farming community, and there is no widespread resentment in the area.' Tensions remain high ahead of the ceremony, with both sides standing firm on their views regarding Brij Bhushan's participation.
