Lucknow: On Tuesday, a day earlier than the final day for submitting nominations for the fourth part of the Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) made a controversial announcement — that it was going to discipline Karan Bhushan, the youngest son of its Kaiserganj MP and strongman Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, from the seat.
The BJP’s announcement, which got here after months of protests towards former Wrestling Federation of India chief and six-time MP Brij Bhushan over sexual harassment allegations, met with a lot condemnation from each wrestlers and opposition events.
High wrestlers Sakshee Malikkh and Bajrang Punia denounced the transfer hours after it was introduced.
बीजेपी अपने आपको दुनिया की सबसे बड़ी पार्टी मानती है पर अपने लाखों कार्यकर्ताओं में से बृजभूषण के बेटे को टिकट दिया, वह भी जब प्रजव्वल रेवन्ना के मामले पर बीजेपी घिरी हुई है।
पंजाब हरियाणा के आंदोलनों में एक नारा यहाँ के लोग लगाते हैं, “सरकारों से ना आस करो, अपनी रखवाली आप करो।”… pic.twitter.com/6xvFMnfjAT
— Bajrang Punia 🇮🇳 (@BajrangPunia) May 2, 2024
Opposition events just like the Samajwadi Social gathering, in the meantime, accused the BJP of intentionally laying aside the announcement till the tip of elections in western Uttar Pradesh — a area dominated by Jats, the caste group to which majority of the wrestlers who sat in protest final 12 months belong.
Eight seats in western UP — Saharanpur, Bijnor, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit — voted within the second part of the parliamentary polls on 26 April.
“This is a deliberate act because the BJP wanted to first ensure that the voting in the Jat belt was over and decided to field the son of a tainted person towards the last leg of the third phase election. This is only to mislead the public,” SP spokesperson I.P. Singh instructed ThePrint.
The BJP, nevertheless, dismissed such allegations, saying that the ticket distribution was a part of the “BJP’s strategy”.
“It’s not misleading the public. Hasn’t (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi’s ticket been delayed till the last date of nomination?” UP BJP spokesperson Awanish Tyagi requested. “Since the Opposition has no issues to raise against the BJP government, it is trying to deliberately create issues.”
Kaiserganj will go to polls on 20 Might within the fifth part of the continued parliamentary polls.
Additionally Learn: ‘Wrote false things 1st time, was angry with Brij Bhushan’ — minor wrestler’s father on new assertion
Allegations towards Brij Bhushan
Protests towards Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh started in January final 12 months, forcing the Union Sports activities Ministry to intervene. The protests, led by prime wrestling names equivalent to Olympic medal-winner Malikkh, Punia, and Vinesh Phogat, had been referred to as off at the moment after the Indian Olympic Affiliation fashioned an oversight committee to probe their claims.
In its report submitted on 16 April, the panel discovered the allegations to be “malicious and unfounded”. Nonetheless, these findings weren’t made public.
In the meantime, protests resumed at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar the identical month — this time for an FIR towards Brij Bhushan.
The FIR was registered after Supreme Courtroom intervention and a chargesheet was filed towards him by Delhi Police in June. Nonetheless, the BJP MP, who continues to disclaim the allegations, is but to be arrested.
Issues took one other flip final December when Sanjay Kumar Singh, an aide of Brij Bhushan, was elected the WFI chief. Following protests towards this growth — which noticed Malikkh announce that she was quitting wrestling and Punia return his Padma Shri— the sports activities ministry intervened and suspended the physique. Brij Bhushan, in the meantime, introduced that he would steer clear of the game.
In February, Karan Bhushan grew to become president of the UP Wrestling Affiliation, with wrestlers Malikkh and Punia as soon as once more threatening to renew protests.
‘National-level shooter who loves animals’ — who’s Karan Bhushan
The 33-year-old Karan Bhushan is the youngest of Brij Bhushan’s 4 youngsters. His oldest brother, Shakti Singh had shot himself in 2004 and had allegedly blamed the Kaiserganj bahubali chief for it.
The BJP MP additionally has a daughter and one other son, Prateek — a BJP MLA from Gonda Sadar constituency.
In response to an aide, Karan has BBA and LLB levels from Dr. Rammanohar Lohia Avadh College, Ayodhya, and a diploma in enterprise administration from Australia’s Deakin College. “He’s also a national-level double trap shooter and has a gold medal at the state level in the sport,” the aide mentioned.
Karan’s Instagram and Fb pages have images of him posing with a number of animals. He’s keen on animals and takes his two youngsters fishing, the aide mentioned.
He’s additionally related to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh — the BJP’s ideological fountainhead — and stays politically lively in Kaiserganj in his father’s absence.
“From attending weddings to visiting grieving families, Karan remains present in Kaiserganj-Gonda area when Brij Bhushan cannot go there,” a BJP chief from Gonda instructed ThePrint.
Political rivals from Brij Bhusna’s personal social gathering, in the meantime, declare the BJP had “succumbed to pressure” from the bahubali chief. One in all these detractors is Mahesh Tiwari, who hoped for a ticket from Kaiserganj.
“In the background of serious allegations levelled against Brij Bhushan and the fact that JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna has been facing serious charges of sexual abuse, it was assumed that the party may not field him,” mentioned Tiwari, who, miffed on the social gathering not giving him a ticket from Gonda Sadar meeting seat in 2017, had unsuccessfully fought that 12 months’s meeting polls on a Shiv Sena ticket. “But giving the ticket to his son means that the ticket has gone to the same family.”
SP spokesperson I.P. Singh, in the meantime, mentioned that the BJP’s choice belies the considering of a celebration that claims to assist ladies’s empowerment.
“This is the most condemnable thing. When our wrestler daughters who made us proud in the world by bringing medals for us were protesting against this person, they were lathi-charged upon and mistreated by the police. Now, the BJP has given a ticket to the son of the most controversial person in the country. Is this how the party lives its slogan ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’?” he requested.
Additionally Learn: Delhi Police file chargesheet towards Brij Bhushan. ‘Relies on testimonies, lacks tech evidence’