WFI president slaps over-aged wrestler after he insisted on competing in U-15 Nationals
New Delhi, Dec 18: Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh courted a controversy during the Under-15 Nationals in Ranchi when he slapped a grappler, who insisted on competing in the tournament after being disqualified for being over-aged.
The incident happened on the concluding day of the tournament on Friday when the disqualified wrestler from Uttar Pradesh went to the dias and started misbehaving with the president, who lost his cool after a while.
Interestingly, the wrestler trains at the academy which belongs to the WFI president in Gonda.
"The wrestler wanted a favour from the president that since he was from UP and also from his centre, he be allowed to compete but the president wants to root out age-related corruption from grassroots level, so he did not let him compete," WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar told PTI.
"The federation is now very strict and determined to ensure that only right-aged wrestler compete in the age-group nationals. We actually disqualified 60 to 70 over-aged wrestlers from the competition and he was one of them.
"After he started misbehaving with the president, he lost cool and slapped him," he said.
The WFI has been conducting Under-15 Nationals since 2018 and age fraud has been a major issue in the sport for long.
"If the president had allowed that boy, it would have given a wrong message that a UP wrestler was favoured. We won't allow age fraud. This boy was pestering me also but I somehow stayed patient but the president lost his cool after he started misbehaving on stage with the guests watching," he added.
#यूपी के #भाजपा सांसद ब्रजभूषण शरण सिंह ने रांची में नौजवान कुश्ती खिलाड़ी को मंच पर ही थप्पड़़ों मारे ||
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Rahul Gandhi lays foundation stone for 100 houses for landslide victims in Wayanad
Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for 100 houses to be constructed by the party for victims of the 2024 landslide here.
Congress is constructing 100 houses, each measuring 1,100 sq ft and 8 cents of land.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha assured the affected families that he and his family would always stand with those who had lost everything in the tragedy.
He recalled witnessing two major landslides and how people responded to them.
“You have lost a lot, but you have not lost your spirit. You never lost your courage. Most importantly, you did not lose your compassion,” Gandhi said.
Rahul said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had pointed out alleged delays in the process of constructing houses for the victims.
“There were complexities related to permissions, land and other issues. Now, I hope it will be completed soon,” he said.
He described the ceremony as a "symbol and a message" to the affected families.
“In this process of recovery and healing, we are with you. We will stand with you whenever you need us,” he said.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she had witnessed the hardship of people who lost everything, including their families.
She mentioned Anyan and Hanni, who lost their farms and family members in the landslide.
“We have tried our best to raise your voice in Parliament again and again. All our MPs met the Home Minister to demand that it be declared a national disaster. We wrote to the Prime Minister and held protests outside Parliament,” she said.
She said what struck her most after the tragedy was the courage of the people.
“The way you all stood together, no matter what religion or section you belong to, you gave love and courage when it mattered most,” she said.
She said she was not the MP when the tragedy struck, but had since become a daughter, sister and part of the family.
Vadra said all political parties had contributed to the rehabilitation process.
As the people's struggle continues, the party would stand with them to overcome it, she added.
Both leaders also distributed Rs 5 lakh each to 40 people who lost their shops in the landslide.
Senior Congress and UDF leaders were present at the event.
