The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Friday moved its office out of the residence of its former president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, after the sports ministry had recently raised serious objections to it.

“The WFI will operate from a new address in New Delhi after vacating Brij Bhushan’s premises,” a source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

The new WFI office is located in the Hari Nagar area of New Delhi.

The ministry, while suspending the newly-formed WFI panel under president Sanjay Singh on December 24, three days after he was elected its head, had cited the office running from Brij Bhushan’s residence as one of the reasons for taking the stringent action.

“The business of the federation is being run from the premises controlled by former office bearers (Brij Bhushan) — which is also the alleged premises wherein sexual harassment of the players have been alleged and present(ly) the court is hearing the matter,” the ministry had said in its letter.

The ministry also said the new body was working under the “complete control of former (WFI) office-bearers”, which was not in conformity with the National Sports Code.

Several top wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik and World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan and the case is being heard in the Delhi High Court.

After Sanjay Singh, a close aide of Brij Bhushan, was elected WFI chief on December 21, Sakshi decided to retire from wrestling, while Bajrang returned his Padma Shri and Vinesh decided to give her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award back, alleging they did not want any close associate of the BJP MP to run the federation.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has once again instituted a three-member ad-hoc committee under the chairmanship of Wushu Association of India chief Bhupender Singh Bajwa to run the affairs of the sport. 
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Delhi Art, Culture and Languages Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday said the BJP-led central government rejected the tableaux of Delhi and Punjab for the Republic Day parade to “exact revenge on the AAP”, which governs the national capital and the border state.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Bharadwaj said the Centre has rejected Delhi’s tableaux for three consecutive years now.

The last time Delhi’s tableau featured in the Republic Day parade was in 2021. It showcased the Shahjahanabad redevelopment project, according to officials.

Mr Bharadwaj said Delhi’s tableau this year would have showcased schools in the city and the mohalla clinic model.

“The tableau of Delhi, which is the capital of the country, was rejected by the Centre. Its tableau was rejected for the 2022 parade and then for the 2023 parade and now it has been rejected again for the 2024 parade,” the minister said.

The theme of the Republic Day parade was “Nari Shakti” in 2023 and “Viksit Bharat” for 2024, he said.

“No one can say it’s a design competition. The Centre had given us some suggestions and we incorporated those (into the tableau proposal). If it would have given us more suggestions, we would have included those too,” Mr Bharadwaj said.

“Our tableau would have showcased schools and the mohalla clinic model,” he added.

Mr Bharadwaj said it’s not a coincidence that Punjab’s tableau proposal was also rejected.

“The Centre is doing this to exact revenge on the AAP,” he charged.

Regarding the “Viksit Bharat” theme provided by the Central government for the parade, he said, “Any state generally presents what aspects or items could represent the theme of a developed India in their tableau. India will develop through a good education system and better healthcare facilities.” 

He further said, “The Delhi government included Delhi’s school system and mohalla clinics in their proposal. Despite this, the proposal for Delhi’s floats was rejected by the central government.” The Delhi minister also questioned the intentions of the BJP-led central government, stating that it is “persistently” exhibiting behaviour aimed solely at retaliating against the AAP.

“It’s not a coincidence that they not just rejected the tableau proposals given by the Delhi government but also those by the AAP-led Punjab government,” Mr Bharadwaj said.

He indicated that it can be understood from the Centre’s actions that the rejection of Delhi and Punjab’s tableaux proposals was not based on any deficiency or fault but rather due to animosity toward the AAP.

On Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann attacked the Centre over the non-inclusion of the state’s tableau in the parade and accused it of discrimination.

Eighty per cent of the selected states are ones ruled by the BJP, he alleged.

The BJP’s Punjab unit, in response, slammed Mr Mann on Thursday for politicising the non-inclusion of the state’s tableau. It also claimed that the AAP government had insisted that the tableau carry photos of Mr Mann and Mr Kejriwal.

Virendra Sachdeva, the BJP’s Delhi chief, accused the AAP of indulging in politics on events of national pride.

“AAP leaders know the truth but they are not telling it. January 26, and August 15 are events of national sovereignty and pride but Arvind Kejriwal is busy doing politics on this too,” he said.

“The actual reason for Delhi and Punjab’s tableaux being rejected is that he (Kejriwal) was using his pictures there and, hence, the screening committee rejected the proposals,” he added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the choice of people is the BJP and there is a consensus among them that the country does not need a “mili-juli sarkar” as an era of such governments resulted in loss of optimism and gave a bad image to India.

Exuding confidence about the 2024 general election, PM Modi in an interview to India Today magazine said there is a consensus among the people, experts, opinion makers and friends from the media that “our country doesn’t need a mili-juli sarkar“.

“We have lost 30 years due to instability resulting from mili-juli sarkar. People have seen the lack of governance, appeasement politics, corruption in the era of mili-juli sarkar. This resulted in loss of optimism and confidence among the people and gave a bad image to India in the world. So, naturally the choice of the people is the BJP,” PM Modi said.

His comments assume significance, coming ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in which the opposition INDIA bloc is set to challenge the BJP.

PM Modi said his guarantee is not a formula made for winning elections, but it is the trust of the poor. “Today, every poor person in the country knows that Modi will not back down from his duty. This trust of the poor also gives me the energy that even if I completely exhaust myself or push myself over my limit, I would not let this trust be violated,” he said.

PM Modi said to make India developed by 2047, the focus will be on GYAN — “G for Garib, Y for Yuva, A for Annadata, N for Nari Shakti”.

Discussing ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’, PM Modi drew parallels between the 1922-1947 period and the next 25 years.

“From 1922 to the period up to 1947, everyone wanted to contribute towards the freedom movement. I see a similar optimism among the people to make India a developed country by the time we celebrate 100 years of independence. This energy is my driving force,” PM Modi said. “Hum GYAN pe dhyaan denge (we will focus on GYAN)…” he added

On the BJP selecting fresh faces as Chief Ministers of three heartland states – Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh – PM Modi said it may appear like a fresh trend, but it is not new for the party.

The Prime Minister said he himself is the best example of this practice within the BJP. PM Modi pointed out that when he became Gujarat Chief Minister, he had no prior administrative experience and was not even elected to the assembly.

“Most of the other parties today are parivarvadi (dynastic) parties and these find this democratic churn difficult,” PM Modi said, adding the BJP is a cadre-based party, driven by a clear mission and has the ability to nurture multiple generations of leadership at the same time.

On why the BJP is not ruling in any of the big southern and eastern states, PM Modi pointed to the party’s expanding footprint in the country. there is no corner of the country where our party does not have support”.

“From local bodies in Kerala to being the principal opposition in many states, our party is doing robust work among the people,” he said.

With inputs from PTI