In a show of solidarity, 360 villages of Delhi have extended their support to the wrestlers’ protest demanding justice for the alleged mistreatment by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Today, representatives visited Jantar Mantar today to support the wrestlers under the leadership of AAP Delhi State Convenor and Cabinet Minister Shri Gopal Rai.
As part of the support, a Panchayat will be held in all the villages of Delhi on May 4th, 5th, and 6th, to raise awareness about the plight of the wrestlers and garner support for their cause. The Panchayat will culminate in a Mahapanchayat to be held at Jantar Mantar on May 7th, where the wrestlers and their supporters will come together to demand justice.
Speaking at the protest site, AAP Senior Leader and Cabinet Minister Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj, MLA said that WFI is supposed to protect wrestlers, if the same people start harming our daughters then no family will accept it. Our daughters have been forced by BJP’s MP to live under tents for their rights, we will sit here till Brij Bhushan Singh is arrested, he added.
Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi State Convenor and Cabinet Minister Shri Gopal Rai while addressing the representatives from 360 villages and the councilors and MLAs of Delhi who reached Jantar Mantar said, “We all know that the pride of the country our players has been protesting in Delhi from last 10 days. Our daughters who won medals for the country during different Olympics in the world are today bound to protest at this Jantar Mantar for 10 days in heat and rain. The Honorable Prime Minister of the country did not have time to call them and talk to them. Yesterday Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pravesh Verma tweeted that Aam Aadmi Party leaders want to hijack this movement. Today, I would like to challenge them, asking them to join me here and support our players if they are at all concerned about society’s respect or that of their sisters and daughters. You are enquiring about the caste of those who represented their nation worldwide. Although our players have caste, our tricolor is superior to all the castes. An entire family risks everything to raise a player. A parent who sends his child to play sports slashes his stomach, breaks his spirit, and gives everything up. And today you want to know what the players’ caste is? So the answer is that there is only one caste of the players that it is Indian. Our players belong to the same caste as the people of India. The blessings of all castes go with these players when they go to different countries to honor our national flag.”
He said, “Today the representatives of 360 villages of Delhi have gathered here and are giving their support to these players. Different representatives of all the villages of Delhi from Narela to Bawana, Mundka, Najafgarh, Matiala, Chhatarpur, Bijwasan have come here. We have just come here today to make one point: If the Bharatiya Janata Party administration believes that they will leave these players in this situation, eventually players will be forced to leave Jantar Mantar. So this is your misunderstanding! Just like the farmers did not go under compulsion and you had to be compelled to withdraw all the three laws. The more you attempt to discourage these players, the more support from the nation will accrue here.”
Shri Rai informed, “Today I want to place a proposal in front of all our village representatives that panchayats should be organized in all the villages of Delhi in support of these players . at various panchyats we should discuss whether we should support these players or not? Whether we should support justice or not? Secondly, I propose that on the next 3 days i.e. 4th, 5th and 6th May, all the villages of Delhi should hold Panchayat in their respective areas with different communities. And a Mahapanchayat will then be convened on the 7th of May at Jantar Mantar to solicit their support. I want you to hold panchayats in favor of these athletes starting tomorrow in every village. In order to facilitate the mahapanchayat of all villages, all the villagers, representatives, councilors, and MLAs of Delhi should reach at Jantar Mantar at 11 a.m. on May 7. If the government does not discuss the demands of all the parties in a responsible manner, the Mahapanchayat will declare the movement’s next plan of action on May 7.”
Shri Gopal Rai further said, ”At the same time, I want to ask the MPs of Delhi that why they used to come running to Jantar Mantar every time, and why don’t they come to Jantar Mantar to listen to the pleas of these players. The players of the country are fighting this battle for the honor of the country’s sisters and daughters. If the BJP people have not come today, then I want to invite them to come to the mahapanchayat on 7th May so that we can discuss together. Together we will discuss whether we want to support the players or not, whether we want to continue the fight for their honor or not. Mahapanchayat on 7th May is not of any one party, mahapanchayat is open to any party or organization who wants to join this protest. Because this fight is not of any one party or organization, it is the fight of the whole country and in this we have to move forward unitedly.”
Addressing the gathering, Senior Aam Aadmi Party Leader and Cabinet Minister Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj said that representatives from around 360 villages of Delhi have come to Jantar Mantar today. “Coming out of these villages, our daughters bring medals for the country after taking training in coaching and camps. The people of these villages send their daughters to bring fame to the country. They send them in the hope that the President of the Wrestling Federation of India will play the role of a father to their daughters and their daughters will get respect in coaching & camps. But if the same people dishonour their daughter’s, will any family tolerate it?”
He said that the support of the MLAs of each assembly of Delhi is with these players. “We cannot divide this movement on caste or regional lines. We all have come here for these daughters who bring laurels to the country. Today the pride of our country has been forced to go out of their houses and live under these tents. Who would want the daughters of our nation to live under these tents like this? But these daughters are afraid that if they don’t protest under these tents, then goons like Brij Bhushan Singh will come and try to harm them. Till Brij Bhushan is not sent to jail, we all will sit here, in support of our daughters.”
