File picture of the newly elected WFI president Sanjay Singh.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Newly-elected WFI president Sanjay Singh on December 28 stated that the sports activities ministry didn’t follow “proper procedure” while suspending the wrestling nationwide physique and will challenge the federal government’s resolution in a courtroom.
The Sports Ministry on December 24 suspended the WFI, three days after its elections have been held, for flouting its personal structure while taking sure choices, together with the announcement of U-15 and U-20 National Championships.
Sanjay, nonetheless, stated that the “autonomous” and “democratically elected” physique couldn’t have been suspended by the federal government with out listening to the WFI’s facet of the story.
“We have won the elections (of WFI) democratically. The returning officer was the retired chief justice of J&K High Court, there were observers from the IOA and UWW (United World Wrestling). There were 22 state units (three absent out of 25 state associations) taking part in the elections, 47 votes were polled out of which I got 40,” Sanjay informed PTI.
“After all these, if you say we are suspended, we are not going to accept it. A democratically-elected body was not given a chance to explain its position which is against the principle of natural justice which everybody is entitled to under the Constitution of India.”
Asked what’s the approach ahead for his physique, he stated, “WFI is an autonomous body and the government has not followed proper procedure. We are going to talk to the government and if it (government) does not take back the suspension, we are taking legal opinion and going to court.” He stated because the WFI is contesting the suspension, he doesn’t settle for the three-member ad-hoc committee shaped by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Wednesday to run the day-to-day affairs of the nationwide sports activities physique.
‘Bajrang, Vinesh and Sakshi enjoying politics’
He stated the go to by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in an akhada in Haryana to satisfy Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia made it clear that the trio, who led the five-month-long protest accusing former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexually harassing ladies grapplers, have been enjoying politics.
“It is evident that they (Bajrang, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik) are being backed by the Congress, tool-kit gang and left events. These three are enjoying on the lap of those political events,” stated Sanjay, an in depth aide of Brij Bhushan.
“Please tell me any fourth wrestler who is opposing the WFI other than these three. These three don’t want the junior wrestlers to progress, they want to take away the rights of junior wrestlers.
“Bajrang had gone (to the Hangzhou Asian Games) with out participating in the trials and he got here again with 10-0 loss. They usually are not in wrestling, they’re in politics. Please come ahead in case you are involved about wrestling, the street is evident for you, however if you wish to do politics, please do it in the open.”
Sanjay also took a dig at Bajrang for leaving his Padma Shri on the road after he decided to return it to the government.
“It could also be a private matter, however the nation’s feelings are related in Khel Ratna, it is not for a single particular person, however belongs to the entire society. Padma Shri is just not one thing which needs to be placed on a street.” After the election of Sanjay as WFI chief, Sakshi quit the sport while Bajrang decided to return his Padma Shri. Vinesh followed suit by returning her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award.
‘Hoping that UWW will lift ban on WFI’
Sanjay also claimed that he had written a letter to the United World Wrestling requesting lifting of the ban imposed on WFI, and he is hopeful of a favourable decision from the international parent body.
“We have written to the UWW requesting to elevate the ban imposed on the WFI, because the elections have been held democratically. Office holidays are happening (in Europe) so might take some days.” He also claimed that the newly-elected office bearers did not violate any constitutional provision of the WFI while announcing dates and venue of the U-15 and U-20 National Championships in Gonda — Brij Bhushan’s Lok Sabha constituency — after the December 21 elections.
“There was full quorum once we took the choice to carry the U-15 and U-20 Nationals. There was an AGM on the day of the elections, we went to a lodge (in Delhi) and took the choice.
“If the Nationals were not held this year, the future of the young wrestlers would have been spoilt, which it has happened now. They will become overage. Everybody agreed to the venue also.” Asked why the newly-elected WFI secretary basic Prem Chand Lochab was not concerned in the choice making, he stated, “We told the secretary general to go there (at the hotel) along with us but he did not come. I don’t know what is his intention.
“We adopted the WFI Constitution to the total. If we did one thing (fallacious), the federal government ought to have requested for a solution from us as an alternative of restraining us from our work. WFI is an autonomous physique and we have been elected in a democratic approach underneath our (WFI) structure.”
