Just three days after a new committee of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) was elected, it was suspended by the Sports Ministry with immediate effect for supposedly flouting provisions of the National Sports Code and appearing to be in complete control of past office-bearers (read Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a convicted sexual harasser and serial molester). The government has, for the present, asked the Indian Olympic Association to form an ad hoc body to run the day-to-day affairs of the WFI. The Sarkar’s conciliatory moves towards agitating wrestlers follow the shock retirement of Olympic bronze medal winner Sakshi Malik and media coverage of Bajrang Punia leaving his Padma Shri award on a footpath near the PM’s house to protest against the sham elections. Also, BBS Singh hot-footed it to the BJP HQ and met JP Nadda, post which he announced his retirement from the sport as he had to concentrate on the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. There is no altruistic motive behind the Sports Ministry’s decision to suspend the WFI, but it is a damage-control measure which has everything to do with the Parliamentary polls in May 2024 and the Haryana elections later in October. It is crucial for the government to win UP (BB’s turf) and Haryana where all the protesting wrestlers hail from to maintain a stranglehold on the Hindi heartland. The government cannot afford to ruffle feathers in either of the two states, hence this suspension order. Make no mistake, this is realpolitik at work. There is no genuine concern for our Olympic medal-winning sportspersons.
