‘Sabka saath nahin, Brij Bhushan ka saath’: Sibal’s dig at govt

PTI, Jun 3, 2023, 10:17 AM IST

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday said with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP being ”silent” over the sexual harassment charges levelled by wrestlers against outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the ”message” is enough for those investigating the matter.

The attack by Sibal, a senior advocate who represented the protesting wrestlers in the Supreme Court, came as voices calling for the arrest of Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, grew louder.

In a tweet, Sibal said, ”Brij Bhushan Singh, with mounting evidence, public outcry, still not arrested. PM silent, HM silent, BJP silent, RSS silent. Message enough for those investigating!” ”Sabka saath nahin Brij Bhushan ka saath! (Not with everyone but with Brij Bhushan),” Sibal said in a play on the government’s slogan ”sabka sath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas”.

Sibal, who was a Union minister during the UPA-1 and UPA-2 governments, quit the Congress in May last year and was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) support. He recently floated the non-electoral platform ”Insaaf”, aimed at fighting injustice.

The Delhi Police has registered two FIRs against Singh.

The FIRs lodged on the basis of complaints from six women wrestlers and the father of a minor narrate several alleged instances of sexual harassment, inappropriate touching, groping, stalking and intimidation by Singh at different times and places, including in foreign countries, over a decade.