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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also expressed support for the wrestlers and asked for justice in the case.

Digital Desk: Shashi Tharoor, a Congress MP, criticized the country's Olympic body chief, PT Usha, today for denouncing the wrestlers' public protest against alleged sexual misconduct by the wrestling body's head.

Ms Usha had called the wrestlers' protest "indiscipline" and chastised them for not waiting for the result of a commission investigating the claims against Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has denied any wrongdoing.

"Dear @PTUshaOfficial, it is not in your character to dismiss the legitimate protests of your fellow athletes in the face of repeated and wanton sexual harassment." Their fighting for their rights does not "taint the nation's image." Ignoring their complaints - rather than listening to them, investigating them, and taking appropriate action - does," the Thiruvananthapuram MP tweeted.

His remark came just a day after PT Usha, a famed former athlete and Rajya Sabha member who heads the Indian Olympic Association, slammed the wrestlers' protest as a "negative approach" that is "tarnishing" the country's reputation.

"The players should not have protested in public. They should have at least waited for the committee's report. What they have done is detrimental to both the game and the country. "It's a negative approach," she explained.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also expressed support for the wrestlers and asked for justice in the case.

"We must all stand in solidarity with the wrestlers who are protesting." They are speaking in unison. Our athletes are the pride of our country. They have won the championship. The guilty must be brought to justice, regardless of political affiliation. Justice must triumph. "The truth must triumph," she declared.



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Arvind Kejriwal, her Delhi counterpart, will pay a visit to the wrestlers at Jantar Mantar tomorrow. Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi, two prominent leaders from his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), will go visit them this evening.

Another politician, Uddhav Thackeray supporter Priyanka Chaturvedi, disagreed with PT Usha's remark.

"The country's image is tainted when MPs accused of sexual harassment walk free while victims struggle for justice." "I'm sorry Ma'am, but we must all speak up for our sportswomen and not accuse them of tarnishing our image when they are the ones who have won laurels for our country and given us reasons to be proud," she tweeted.

Ms Usha's words elicited an immediate response from the protesting wrestlers, who said they were wounded by her remarks since they looked up to her for encouragement.

"PT Usha is our icon." We were offended by what she said. "I want to ask her if it was not tarnishing India's image when her academy was being demolished and she raised her concerns on social media," Olympian Bajrang Punia told news agency ANI.

They had also written to her, urging her to take action.

The star wrestlers' protest, which included Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik, drew political leaders to their venue after they returned to the streets, stating that no action was taken on their claims.

 

They took to the streets in January to protest the alleged sexual misconduct charges but dropped their protest after receiving assurances from Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. They have also petitioned the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing, which is scheduled for today.









 

 

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