PM Modi never cared to hear their 'mann ki baat': protesting wrestlers
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New Delhi: The wrestlers who are protesting against Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh raising sexual harassment allegations against him says that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is turning a blind eye to the matter.
Rio Olympics Bronze medalist Sakshi Malik lamented that PM Modi never cared to hear their woes, their 'mann ki baat' or what they wanted to say.
She said that Modi talks about 'Beti Bachao' and 'Beti Padhao' and listens to everyone's 'mann ki baat'. He invited athletes to his home and gave a lot of respect, calling them his daughters when they won medals, she said.
According to her now, the PM is paying no attention to a grave matter in hand which involve an MP from his own party.
Meanwhile, Indian Olympic Association chief PT Usha came down on wrestlers for going public with their protests. She criticized the athletes for not waiting for the report filed by a committee formed to probe the allegations against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh. According to her, the protests amount to indiscipline.
She said that the players must not have protested in the streets, stating that it was not good for the game as well as the country since it was a negative approach.
The protesters include wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia. They demand governmental action against the WFI chief. They also wrote PT Usha regarding this.
Responding to Ms Usha, the wrestlers said they were hurt by her comments as they looked up to her for support.
The protesters were disheartened by Usha's comments. They said that the IOA chief is not supporting them despite being a woman herself.
"What indiscipline have we done? We are sitting here peacefully. If we had got justice, we would not have done this," NDTV quoted Sakshi Malik.