Shashi Tharoor's strong reaction to PT Usha's Remark on Wrestlers' Protest

• Image Credit: Internet

• Apr 28, 2023 | Kabir Chakraborty

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.

color:#2E2E2E">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.

color:#2E2E2E">"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.

color:#2E2E2E">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.

color:#2E2E2E">West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also expressed
support for the wrestlers and asked for justice in the case.

color:#2E2E2E">"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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color:#2E2E2E">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.

color:#2E2E2E">"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.

color:#2E2E2E">"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.

color:#2E2E2E">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.