LUCKNOW: BJP MP and outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh, who is accused of sexually harassing female wrestlers, announced on Sunday that he will contest the next year’s Lok Sabha election from his current constituency of Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh.
Singh addressed a large rally in Kaiserganj during which he avoided making direct references to the ongoing protests. However, he began his address on a lyrical note quoting lines from an Urdu poem, which, when translated to English, reads: The reward which I have received for my love replete with tears, pain, and poison is that now I am known as a betrayer. Call it my fame or infamy, they discuss my name surreptitiously.
The rally was conducted to celebrate nine years of the Narendra Modi government. During the event, Singh listed out the accomplishments of the current BJP-led Central government. He also accused the previous opposition-led governments of conspiring to delay the verdict in the Ayodhya title suit.
But interestingly, with the BJP not very keen on fielding him due to the accusations, Singh avoided mentioning the name of the party on whose ticket he will contest. Singh, who is a six-time Lok Sabha member had once contested and won under Samajwadi Party ticket. However, with the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav backing the wrestlers, it looks unlikely that he would get the party’s ticket in 2024.