‘Will contest 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Kaiserganj’: Brij Bhushan Singh
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of Parliament (MP) and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment by women wrestlers, on Sunday asserted that he would contest the Lok Sabha polls from his parliamentary constituency Kaiserganj in east Uttar Pradesh again in 2024.
The six-time MP, who has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, made the assertion about the polls after a rally in his Lok Sabha constituency in Gonda district. The rally was held on the completion of nine years of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
“2024 ka chunav Kaiserganj se ladoonga, ladoonga, ladoonga (I will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Kaiserganj),” he said, repeating the word ‘ladoonga’ (will contest) thrice, to queries by media persons seeking his response on if he would contest the 2024 polls from Gonda or Ayodhya.
He also said that the BJP would again form a majority government at the Centre.
The rally was part of the ‘maha jansampark abhiyaan (mega mass connect campaign)’ announced by the BJP. He had earlier called off his June 5 public meeting in Ayodhya citing the ongoing police investigation against him.
On the wrestlers’ protest, he said that he was waiting for the court’s verdict in the case.
On Saturday, the top wrestlers protesting against him, had said that they would relaunch their agitation if all investigations into the charges of sexual harassment levelled against Singh weren’t completed by June 15.
He also held a road show from his residence to the public meeting venue, demonstrating his clout in the region.
He targeted the Congress over the Emergency of 1975 and the anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh security guards.
He also said that had a Modi-like PM been there in 1960s and 70s, the Indian territory grabbed by neighbours would have been freed.
Political experts noticed that during the rally, Singh targeted the Congress but steered clear of any attack on the UP’s main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP), from which he had defected to the BJP, or the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
“It could also mean that he may want to keep his options open. One would well recall how he had praised SP chief Akhilesh Yadav for not joining the wrestlers’ protest. In politics, you work on possibilities, and this surely appears to be one if he fails to get a BJP ticket,” said Athar Siddiqui of the Centre for Objective Research and Development.