Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
A brief biography
As in 2023 Jan
Rakesh Mohan Chaturvedi, January 21, 2023: The Times of India
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of Parliament (MP) and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh — who is in the eye of a storm over charges of sexual harassment levelled by the country’s top wrestlers — has always been in the thick of controversies since he entered politics in the early 1990s.
Identified as a 'bahubali' [strongman] politician from northeastern Uttar Pradesh, the 66-year-old wrestler-politician has faced several serious allegations, including attempt to murder. His election as president of WFI in 2012 was mired in controversies. He had then defeated Deepender Singh Hooda, whose father Bhupender Hooda was then Haryana chief minister, in a re-election. Singh was elected president of WFI unopposed for the third consecutive term in February 2019.
Singh’s supporters now claim that the charges levelled against him by wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and others are part of a “deep conspiracy” by the Haryana lobby, since most of these wrestlers are from Haryana.
Latest controversy: On January 20, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, sat in protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi for the third straight day accusing Singh of sexual harassment and intimidation, and demanding his resignation. The under-fire MP, however, termed the protest by the country's top grapplers "dharna of Shaheen Bagh" and reiterated that he would not quit from the post.
Singh also termed the protest in Delhi's Jantar Mantar an attack on BJP and orchestrated by the Congress party. "The protesting players have become a toy in the hands of Congress and Deepinder Hooda. This type of conspiracy was done against me by the Congress almost three decades ago. Once again the conspiracy has been repeated. I had earlier said that there was a conspiracy, and big powers are behind it. Now those forces are coming out in the open," he said.
Political beginning: Singh entered politics under Raja Anand Singh who was elected Gonda MP four times, but fell out with him and joined the Ram temple movement in 1989. He was elected as a Lok Sabha MP in 1991 from Gonda as a BJP member. In 1999, he won again from Gonda but moved to Balrampur in 2004. Due to differences with the BJP, he joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) in 2008 and won from Kaiserganj.
After the emergence of Narendra Modi on the national scene and the surge in BJP’s support, he returned to the saffron fold in 2014. He has represented BJP in the Lok Sabha from Kaiserganj since 2014.
Referred to in political circles as "dabang" [fearless] or “shaktishali” [powerful], Singh has spent most of his youth in the akhadas [wrestling arena] of Ayodhya. People close to Singh maintain that he is disciplined in his daily routine.
As Lok Sabha MP: Singh occupies one of the front rows in Lok Sabha as he is in his sixth term as MP -- five as a BJP member and once as an SP candidate. But he is not very active in debates. However, he aggressively backs the BJP whenever there is a verbal confrontation with the Opposition. He is also a member of the standing committee on rural development and panchayati raj as well as the consultative committee of the ministry of youth and sports.
His writ runs large in four districts of Uttar Pradesh — Balrampur, Gonda, Bahraich and Shravasti. He has a strong hold over the politics in the region and backs candidates close to him to the hilt in polls, from the panchayat level to the Lok Sabha.
His son Prateek Bhushan is a two-time MLA from Gonda Sadar. His wife Ketki Devi Singh has been president of the Gonda zila panchayat.
Ram temple movement: A case was registered against him in connection with the Babri Masjid demolition case, according to the 2019 election affidavit. He was acquitted by the court in 2020.
Run-ins with ruling party: Singh was critical of the Yogi Adityanath government during the floods in UP in October last year. "I have never seen such bad arrangements in my life," he had said, adding that he may be labelled a "rebel" for "speaking the truth". But the influence that he wields means that there has been no attempt to touch his 10-year tenure as the WFI president and as vice-president of the United World Wrestling-Asia.
Focus on education: Singh has helped set up over 50 educational institutions in Bahraich, Gonda, Balrampur, Ayodhya and Shrawasti districts. This has not only generated substantial revenue for him, but it also caters to the needs of children of the districts. It has also earned him the goodwill of the locals. He established the first Mahavidyala in Nandininagar, Gonda, and his empire proliferated from there.
Criminal charges: Sharan Singh owns a palatial home in his constituency Kaiserganj and a helipad built near it is exclusively for his use.
In the 1990s, TADA [Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act] was slapped on him for allegedly sheltering Dawood Ibrahim’s gang members Subash Thakur, Jayendra Thakur and Paresh Desai, but was cleared of the charges later.
He faces several criminal charges, such as dacoity, attempt to murder and rioting, his 2019 election affidavit reveals.
In 2021, he landed in an uncomfortable situation when he slapped a wrestler from UP on stage during the U-15 National Wrestling Championship at Ranchi.
On wrestler Vinesh Phogat: After Vinesh Phogat lost at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, he called her “khota sikka (fake coin)”. The wrestler also claimed receiving death threats at the behest of the WFI president from officials close to him because she dared to draw Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attention to several issues plaguing Indian wrestling when she met him after the Tokyo Games.
Critical of Ramdev: Singh has slammed Baba Ramdev for “misusing” the name of Patanjali. The ayurveda expert is said to be a native of Gonda district. He had alleged Ramdev was selling substandard goods under the Patanjali brand name.
On Raj Thackeray: When Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Raj Thackeray wanted to have a darshan at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Singh announced that he will be allowed to do so only after he apologised for his remarks against north Indians working in Mumbai. He mobilised around one lakh people in Ayodhya to prevent Raj Thackeray from entering, and his supporters had booked all hotels. Thackeray was forced to cancel the visit.
Respect for Mulayam: Singh and Ballia MP Virendra Singh Mast were two BJP MPs who would see off Mulayam Singh Yadav till Gate 1 of Parliament when the latter would leave for the day. Singh has also praised SP leader Azam Khan, who is one of the most vocal critics of the BJP, and called him a "mass leader".
Inputs from media reports
