Controversial six-term Lok Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing serious allegations of sexual harassment by wrestlers, on Sunday addressed a rally organised by him under the BJP’s ‘Mahasampark Abhiyan’ on completion of the Narendra Modi government’s nine years in office. Earlier, Mr. Singh, followed by a convoy of more than 1,000 four-wheelers and two-wheelers, took out a rally from his house in Gonda to Shri Raghuraj Sharan Singh Mahavidyalaya, next to Balapur on Gonda-Lucknow road, the meeting venue. He stopped at different intersections, with supporters waving at him and joining en route to the rally ground, the event seen as a show of strength by the parliamentarian amid rising pressure.
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Mr. Singh, without referring to the wrestlers’ protests, started his address with a poem making references to the suffering, betrayal, and love. “Kabhi ashq, kabhi gham, to kabhi zeher piya jata hai. Tab jakar jamane me jiya jata hai. Yeh mila mujhko mohabbat ka sila, bewafa kehke mera naam liya jata hai. Isko ruswai kahen ki shohrat apni, dabe hontho se mera naam liya jata hai [Sometimes you drink tears, sometimes sadness, and at times poison. Only then do you live in society. This is the reward I have received for my love; they call me unfaithful. Call it notoriety or fame, they take my name with pursed lips],” he said, dressed in a saffron robe and turban, wearing a saffron scarf with Mr. Modi’s face on it, amid thunderous applause from a sizeable crowd which predominantly came in from neighbouring Bahraich, Balrampur and Ayodhya, apart from different parts of Gonda.
Asked by media persons about his plans to contest the 2024 parliamentary polls, Mr. Singh replied, “Kaiserganj se chunav ladunga, [I will contest election from Kaiserganj],”, adding, the saffron party would win each and every seat in Uttar Pradesh, India’s politically most crucial State sending 80 Lok Sabha members. “The BJP will form a majority government in 2024 under Modi ji leadership,” he said.
Also read | Delhi Police visits Brij Bhushan’s residence in Gonda to record statement of associates
Pro-poor policies
In his address, the Kaiserganj MP praised the Modi government for initiating pro-poor policies benefiting the downtrodden sections, while attacking the Congress alleging the country’s territory was occupied during the grand-old-party regime. “In the Congress period, 78,000 square kilometres of India’s land was captured by Pakistan when Jawahar Lal Nehru was the Prime Minister. China captured 33,000 square kilometres of our land in 1962. After the 1971 war, 92,000 Pakistani prisoners of war [POWs] were captured by India. It was an opportunity to get back the land captured by Pakistan [in exchange for POWs]. If Mr. Modi would have been Prime Minister then, he would have definitely got it back,” said Mr. Singh.
The six-time MP praised Mr. Modi’s leadership on removal of Article 370 in Kashmir, building the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya, and working for the overall development of the country and all sections of the society, while ending his speech with chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
The rally was organised under the BJP’s Mahasampark Abhiyan, under which the saffron party is organising a month-long drive reaching out to the public through rallies, meetings and other events highlighting the nine-year rule of the Union government under Mr. Modi. The rally under Gonda district, whose three Assembly segments — Katra Bazar, Colonelganj and Tarabganj — fall under the Kaiserganj parliamentary segment after the delimitation in 2008, was a show of strength by Mr. Singh, who had to earlier postpone a ‘Jan Chetna Maharally’ in Ayodhya on June 5, citing police investigation over the wrestlers’ allegations and respecting the directions of the Supreme Court. Circle Officer (Ayodhya) Shailendra Pratap Gautam told The Hindu the place for the proposed rally of Mr. Singh on June 5 was pre-occupied, hence the organisers of the ‘Jan Chetna Maharally’ were not able to get the venue.
Allege conspiracy
In the rally ground, supporters of Mr. Singh vowed for his innocence alleging a conspiracy has been hatched to tarnish the image of the strongman, who represented three different parliamentary constituencies under Devipatan administrative division for 28 years. “The massive crowd and support show our leader’s influence and love he enjoys in the region. The conspiracy hatched to tarnish the image would never be successful against him,” said Akshay Pratap Singh, a supporter from neighbouring Bahraich. Earlier, on May 31, Mr. Singh said if the allegations against him are proven, he will hang himself. “If a single allegation is proved against me, I will hang myself, and nobody need to tell me,” Mr. Singh said, while touring Barabanki.
The much-hyped rally was also addressed by Mohan Yadav, Higher Education Minister of Madhya Pradesh, who was the chief guest, and Amar Kishor Kashyap ‘Bambam’, BJP Gonda district chief, among others.
