Shortly after his close aide swept the elections to the Wrestling Federation of India, the body’s former chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment by some of India’s top wrestlers, declared “dabdaba tha, dabdaba rahega (I prevailed, I will prevail)”, indicating that his dominance would continue. 

Brij Bhushan’s aide Sanjay Singh got 40 out of the 47 votes in Thursday’s election, defeating Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Anita Sheoran. Ms Sheoran was backed by wrestlers, including Sakshee Malikkh, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat, who had protested against Brij Bhushan, a BJP MP. 

Reacting to the election result, Brij Bhushan said it was a victory of the country’s wrestlers and that he hoped wrestling activities which were “stopped for 11 months” – since the protests against him began – would now resume. 

The BJP MP also called Sanjay Singh, who has said he is “definitely close” to the former wrestling federation chief, a non-partisan person. 

“A message has been given. Every akhaada (wrestling academy) in the country is bursting firecrackers. Dabdabaa tha, dabdabaa rahega! I want to give the credit of victory to the wrestlers of the country and the electors. I want to thank the government as well. The elections were done on the instructions of the Supreme Court… the Centre went ahead to make sure elections happened and a non-partisan person was chosen as president,” Brij Bhushan said. 

“This ‘grahan’ (eclipse) of 11 months on wrestling is over. Within 10 days, the landscape of wrestling will change again and we will perform in the Olympics the way people want us to,” he added. 

Mallikh Quits

Reacting to Sanjay Singh’s election, which is being seen as a continuity of leadership in the Wrestling Federation of India, Olympic medallist Sakshee Mallikh put her boots on a table during a press briefing and said that she is quitting the sport. 

Ms Malikkh said the wrestlers had wanted a woman at the helm of the wrestling federation.  “But that did not happen… We fought, but if the new president is Brij Bhushan’s aide, his business partner, then I quit wrestling.” She also broke down as she was leaving the venue of the press conference. 

Asked about Ms Mallikh quitting, Brij Bhushan told ANI, “I have nothing to do with this.”

Vinesh Phogat, who also broke into tears at the press conference, said women wrestlers will continue to face harassment and she has no clue “how to find justice in the country”.

“The future of our wrestling career is in the dark. We do not know where to go,” she added.

‘Victory of Truth’

Sanjay Singh called his election as president of the wrestling federation a victory of truth over lies and, in a reference to Brij Bhushan, he said an attempt was made to tarnish the reputation of a person whose character was spotless.

As his supporters congratulated him, slogans were also raised in Hindi, saying, “Sanjay Bhayya kya lekar chale, Brij Bhushan Singh ke khadau lekar chale (Where is Sanjay Singh going? He is carrying Brij Bhushan’s wooden footwear)”.

Besides the president, a senior vice-president, four vice-presidents, a secretary-general, a treasurer, two joint secretaries and five executive members of the wrestling body were also elected. Most of the people who secured these posts are also seen as belonging to the Brij Bhushan camp.

It has been 23 years since Raju Chacha released in 2000. The film starring Ajay Devgn and Kajol continues to spark nostalgia for fans. To commemorate the milestone, Ajay shared a heartfelt post.

Ajay Devgn penned a note as Raju Chacha completes 23 years. Taking to his Instagram handle, he shared a bunch of tapes. He also showered praise on his Kajol for being his “steadfast partner.”

Check it out here:

Ajay wrote, “Reflecting on 23 years of #RajuChacha, a film that holds my heart for many reasons. Anil’s directorial debut paved the way for me to embody Raju, a man deeply rooted in emotion, despite walking on the wrong side of the law. This movie gave me the opportunity to work with kids for the first time, who made things so much more fun on set, and to share the screen with Rishi Ji for the very first time, a memory I’ll always hold close to my heart.”

The caption further read, “And amidst it all, @kajol stood as my steadfast partner, on and off screen, offering unwavering support. As I look back, I can only feel gratitude for having been a part of this film!”

Currently, Ajay Devgn is gearing up for the release of Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again alongside Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar and others. Meanwhile, Kajol recently wrapped filming for Do Patti alongside Kriti Sanon.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ruling BJP’s ideological mentor, on Thursday offered conditional support for a national caste census – which will be a key issue in the build-up to next year’s general election. The RSS said it welcomed “any affirmative action that is scientific and not conducted for electoral benefits alone… (but) to address disparity (in a Hindu society)”.

The RSS was responding to one of its senior officials – Shridhar Gadge – declaring his opposition to a caste census on grounds it may offer political benefit to “some people”, it had no practical use.

In a statement this evening, the RSS said, “Our view is a caste census should be used for the (betterment) of society. While carrying out this exercise, all parties should ensure social harmony and unity are not broken.” The RSS also said it would continue to “work for a Hindu society… “

On Tuesday Gadge told reporters, “… there should no caste-based census because there is no reason to do it. What will we achieve? It is wrong. There should be no inequality, enmity or quarrel…”

He also dismissed links to affirmative action, after those supporting the exercise, including the Congress, said it would help identify communities most in need of reservation to help ensure their representation in socio-economic and political spaces, as well as in educational institutions and jobs.

“Reservation is a different thing, and you can eradicate caste system. I will be of the caste in which I am born and it (caste) will be mentioned when it comes under reservation,” Gadge declared.

Calls for a caste census have gathered steam over the past weeks, particularly after the Bihar government released data from a caste survey conducted earlier this year.

READ | Bihar Assembly Passes Bill For 65% Caste Quota, Past Supreme Court Cap

Days later Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet passed a bill to increase reservations for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, and Other Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes. The bill – which takes reservation past the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent cap – is now with Governor Rajendra Arlekar.

The data – coming months before the 2024 Lok Sabha poll – underlined the electoral importance of OBCs and marginalised communities – for the BJP and the opposition, and the saffron party seemed to acknowledge that in its selection of chief ministers and deputies for the three states it won this month.

NDTV Explains | BJP’s 2024 Game Plan Behind Hattrick Of Heartland Surprises

The INDIA opposition bloc, of which Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) is a member, has demanded the BJP administer the same exercise across the country. It has vowed to do so should it win next year’s election. The Congress, a member of INDIA, has said it will conduct a census in states it rules.

The demands put the BJP in a spot of bother, particularly since the party’s Bihar lawmakers had voted for the state survey. The BJP had previously fiercely opposed a national caste census.

READ | Caste Census In Spotlight With Amit Shah Saying BJP Never Opposed

Faced with changing circumstances, Home Minister Amit Shah said last month – days before elections in five Assembly polls, including in heartland states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh (all of which the BJP won) – said the party had never actually opposed a caste census.

The Congress has been among those most vocal on this topic, with Rahul Gandhi leading the charge in Parliament. He has called the caste census a “X ray” that could expose the oppressed and underrepresented condition of large sections of the country. Other parties, including Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, have also backed the caste count but have squabbled with each other too.

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