"Daughters of country lost...": Sakshi Malik criticises BJP's decision to field Brij Bhushan's son Karan Bhushan in LS elections

Former Indian wrestler and Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik has criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for giving a ticket to Karan Bhushan Singh, son of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, for the Kaiserganj seat in Uttar Pradesh.

In a post on social media, Malik expressed her disappointment with the decision, stating that it defeats the daughters of the country. She highlighted the sacrifices made by athletes, including sleeping on the streets for many days in the sun and rain, and questioned why Brij Bhushan has not been arrested despite the allegations against him.

In a post on X, Malik said that the decision of the ruling party to field Brij Bhushan's son has defeated the daughters of the country.


"We all put our careers at stake and slept on the streets for many days in the sun and rain. To date, Brij Bhushan has not been arrested. We were not demanding anything, we were only demanding justice," Malik said in a post written in Hindi.

"Leave the arrest, today by giving a ticket to his son you have broken the morale of crores of daughters of the country. If the ticket goes to only one family, is the country's government so weak in front of one man? Only votes are needed in the name of Lord Shri Ram, what about the path shown by him?" she questioned.

The BJP's decision to field Karan Bhushan Singh has put an end to all speculations around the Kaiserganj seat in Uttar Pradesh. The seat is currently held by BJP's Brij Bhushan Singh, who is a three-time MP from the seat. However, he has not been given a ticket this time.

The Kaiserganj seat had become a point of contention for the BJP after Brij Bhushan Singh was accused of sexual harassment of female wrestlers. This led to massive protests by several athletes, including Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat.


The Delhi Police filed a chargesheet in connection with the case against the former WFI chief in June last year.

Six-time MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh faced a massive political storm last year when several protesters, including Olympic medalists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, along with Vinesh Phogat, hit the streets of Delhi to protest against Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior during his tenure as the President of Wrestling Federation of India. He has denied all allegations against him in the case, which is in court.

A Delhi court last week dismissed an application by Singh, seeking further examination of evidence concerning his whereabouts on the date -- September 7, 2022 -- of an alleged sexual harassment incident. He had told the court that he was not in Delhi when one of the complainant wrestlers was allegedly sexually harassed.

Singh has a strong influence in the Kaiserganj constituency and has represented the Gonda and Balrampur constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP understands the political influence the six-time MP holds in the area. Therefore, it has chosen his son as his replacement.

Sources in the BJP earlier told NDTV that the party leadership had spoken to him on the issue and that the heavyweight politician was still insisting on a poll pass. His elder son Pratik Bhushan Singh is an MLA. Karan currently heads the Uttar Pradesh wrestling body.

Meanwhile, celebrations took place at the MP's home after the BJP announced his son as the candidate for the constituency. "I am thankful to the party leadership and the public that they have allowed me to serve the people here," Karan Bhushan Singh said. Brij Bhushan Singh said, "I am not bigger than the party... I welcome the party's decision." This is the first time Karan Bhushan Singh will contest elections.

(With inputs from ANI)