No desire to fight WFI polls, only standing with wrestlers: Deepender Hooda

Congress leader Deepender Hooda on Wednesday said that he has no desire in the Wrestling Federation of India elections and that he is only standing with the "daughters" for justice.

He made the statement while addressing a press conference at the party's headquarters here.

Hooda has come out in support of the protesting wrestlers, who had gone to Haridwar on Tuesday to immerse their medals in river Ganga. He appealed to the wrestlers to take back their decision of immersing the medals, which they had won after working hard for it.

The Congress leader also urged the wrestlers to reconsider their decision of holding an indefinite hunger strike.

Hooda, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP said, "I have made it clear from the first day that I have neither interest nor desire in the politics of Wrestling Federation, I am completely dedicated to the politics of Haryana, and I am fully dedicating my time to bring change in Haryana.

"And my supporting the wrestlers is not associated with the issue of wrestling federation's politics but it is a matter of justice for daughters," he said.

He made the remarks after he was asdked if he wanted to contest elections of the Wrestling Federation once again like he did earlier to ensure justice is given to them.

Taking a jibe at the Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Saran Singh, Hooda said: "And as far as I am concerned, on the first day, he took my name, I had said this on the same day, but he keeps taking my name again and again and I want to say one thing... if the WFI chief and the entire BJP troll army are accusing me that I am supporting my daughters, so I accept this allegation."

"I was, I am and I will be with my daughters until they get justice. If they think that I will step back as they are taking my name then they are mistaken. If they think that they can divert the main issue by taking my name and make it a regional or caste or religious issue then I will not allow them to be successful."

Star wrestlers, many of whom had won Olympic medals, were on Sunday forcibly removed by police from their protest site on Jantar Mantar after they tried to march towards the new Parliament House building. On Tuesday, agitating wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia, handed their medals to Bhartiya Kisan Union chief and Balian Khap head Naresh Tikait, who had reached Haridwar's Har ki Pauri to stop them from putting these into the Ganga as a symbolic act of protest against WFI's chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, whom they have accused of sexual harassment.

Tikait, along with the wrestlers, have now given five days to the government to sort out their demands, failing which wrestlers will go ahead with their decision to submerge their medals in the Ganga.

--IANS

aks/vd