Brij Bhushan gets hero's welcome in UP's Gonda after acquittal in wrestlers' case
BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh received a grand welcome in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda on Thursday during his first visit to his home district since
BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh received a grand welcome in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda on Thursday during his first visit to his home district since a Delhi court acquitted him in a sexual harassment case filed by six women wrestlers. Addressing supporters, Singh said the allegations were politically motivated and were limited to what he described as "good touch" and "bad touch", with "nothing beyond that". Read Full Story The si term MP from the Kaisarganj seat also said he remained eligible to contest parliamentary elections if the BJP chose him, but ruled out any return to the Wrestling Federation of India, saying he had already served the maximum three terms allowed. His visit came days after the court acquitted him, while wrestler Vinesh Phogat said the women wrestlers had asked their lawyers to appeal the decision in a higher court. Thousands of supporters lined the route in Ayodhya and Gonda and showered flower petals on Singh’s convoy, with some using excavators. Supporters raised slogans of “Sher aaya” and burst firecrackers, while scores of vehicles accompanied the convoy. Singh arrived at the international airport in Ayodhya by chartered aircraft, where he was welcomed with drums, music and slogans.
He then travelled in an open jeep to the Hanumangarhi temple, where he offered prayers from outside and sought blessings from seers. During the procession, his elder son and Gonda Sadar MLA Prateek Bhushan Singh waved a mace from the vehicle’s sunroof and said, "Truth has prevailed". After visiting Hanumangarhi, Singh went to Gonda for the "Satyamev Jayate" rally and also offered special prayers at the Nandini Gaumata temple before reaching the venue. At the felicitation programme at Nandini Nagar College in Gonda, Singh said, "I did not pull anyone’s sari. There may have been physical contact while putting medals around the wrestlers’ necks, which created a storm. The allegations against me were politically motivated". He added, "The issue was confined to ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’, and there was nothing beyond that". On his political future, Singh said he was "eligible" to return to Parliament but was “not above the party”. He said that if the BJP decided to field him, the people would ensure his victory. Singh has earlier indicated that he intends to contest the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and has suggested he could run as an Independent if he does not get a party ticket.
He said the verdict had fully vindicated him and claimed the court had not acquitted him merely for want of evidence, but had used expressions such as "honourably acquitted" and referred to a "conspiracy". Singh said he had won because the allegations were false, not because of influence or status. He added that the case lasted about three-and-a-half years, during which the court held 127 hearings and examined 27 witnesses. Singh also said the agitation against him was unprecedented and claimed that no sexual harassment movement anywhere in the world had reached such proportions. "Even there was no such movement against US President Donald Trump or against any person accused of rape anywhere in the world," he said. He added, "Had I bowed down in this case, the matter would have ended, but my character would have been assassinated". He said many people, including children and seers, had suffered because of false cases and backed demands by some Ayodhya seers for a review of laws relating to crimes against women, alleging misuse. Singh also alleged that the wrestlers’ protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar was part of a political conspiracy and said 42 senior opposition leaders had joined it.
The BriefWire