Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik urge PM Modi to oust people like Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
New Delhi, Mar 19: Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "do something" to oust "oppressors" like Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh from Indian sports, the protesting duo of Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik on Tuesday denounced the IOA's decision to hand back wrestling's administrative control to the controversy-marred national federation.
In strongly-worded posts on X, the two wrestlers, who have accused Sharan Singh of sexually harassing women grapplers, called on the PM to intervene.
"The Prime Minister is a spin master, knows how to spin the issue by invoking 'women power' to counter the speeches of his rivals. Narendra Modi ji, let us also know the real truth of women power," posted Phogat, who is bound for the Olympic qualifiers next month in the 50kg category.
"Brij Bhushan, who exploited women wrestlers, has again taken over wrestling. It is hoped that you (PM) will not just use women as shields, but will also do something to oust such oppressors from the sports institutions of the country," the Asian Games gold medallist wrote.
Retired Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik too said that the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) office-bearers were acting as if they were above the law.
"History is witness to the fact that powerful people in this country have played with the honour of women for centuries.
"...the rich miscreant is so powerful that he is above the government, the Constitution and the judiciary," she alleged.
"After the government suspended the wrestling association, Brij Bhushan and Sanjay Singh kept giving statements that this suspension is just a show, we will be reinstated after a few days and we will have control over the wrestling association forever.
"This proved to be true and this letter from the Indian Olympic Association officially confirmed this and proved that even in this new India, the age-old tradition of insulting women will continue."
Their outburst comes a day after the Indian Olympic Association dissolved the ad-hoc committee, which was running wrestling in the country, and handed over the reins to WFI, led by Brij Bhushan's close aide Sanjay Singh.
The IOA dissolved the panel, saying "there is no further need" for it to continue after revocation of the suspension on the WFI by United World Wrestling last month.
Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Malik have been protesting against Sanjay Singh, saying the culture of fear, which was there during Brij Bhushan's tenure, will continue under him too.
प्रधानमंत्री जी स्पिन मास्टर हैं, अपने प्रतिद्विंदियों के भाषणों का जवाब देने के लिए “महिला शक्ति” का नाम लेकर बात को घुमाना जानते हैं.
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) March 19, 2024
नरेंद्र मोदी जी, हम महिला शक्ति की असल सच्चाई भी जान लीजिए. महिला पहलवानों का शोषण करने वाला बृजभूषण फिर से कुश्ती पर काबिज हो गया है.… https://t.co/PrPuBwqP2X
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ED detects 'unaccounted' cash deals worth Rs 1,000 crore in TASMAC operations in Tamil Nadu
New Delhi, Mar 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate Thursday said it has found "multiple irregularities" in the operations of TASMAC that has monopoly over liquor trade in Tamil Nadu, including "manipulation" in the tender processes and "unaccounted" cash transactions worth Rs 1,000 crore through distillery companies.
The federal agency claimed in a statement that it got "evidence" suggesting these corrupt practices after it raided the employees, corporate offices of distilleries and plants of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) on March 6.
ED sources, on the day of the raids, had said the searches were also conducted against "key associates" linked to prohibition and excise department minister Senthil Balaji.
The ED said it found "incriminating" data related to transfer postings, transport and bar licence tenders, indent orders "favouring" few distillery companies, excess charge of Rs 10-30 per bottle by TASMAC outlets, with the "involvement" of TASMAC officials, during the searches.
It said this data shows "manipulation" in TASMAC's transport tender allocations where a "glaring" issue was the "mismatch" between the KYC details of the applicant and the demand draft (DD), suggesting that the final successful bidder did not even obtain the requisite DD before the application deadline.
Tenders were awarded despite having only a single applicant in the final bid. TASMAC paid over Rs 100 crore annually to transporters, as per the ED.
In the case of allocation of bar licence tenders by TASMAC, "evidence" related to "manipulation" of tender conditions was found including a "glaring" issue of applicants without any GST/PAN numbers and KYC documentation being allotted the final tenders, it said.
The agency said it found records to show "direct" communication between distillery companies and higher TASMAC officials, exposing efforts to secure increased indent orders and "undue" favours.
The searches also found "large-scale" financial fraud involving distillery companies like SNJ, Kals, Accord, SAIFL, and Shiva Distillery and bottling entities such as Devi Bottles, Crystal Bottles and GLR Holding, the ED alleged.
The distilleries "systematically inflated" expenses and "fabricated" bogus purchases, particularly through bottle-making companies, to siphon off over Rs 1,000 crore in "unaccounted" cash.
These funds were then used as "kickbacks" to secure increased supply orders from TASMAC, as per the ED.
In the case of the bottling companies, the ED found that they "inflated" sales figures, allowing distilleries to route excess payments, which were later withdrawn in cash and returned after deducting commissions.
"This collusion between distilleries and bottling companies was done through manipulation of financial records, concealed cash flows, and systematic evasion.
"The findings confirm a network where unaccounted cash was deliberately generated through inflated and bogus expenses and subsequently utilized for purposes leading to huge profits," the agency alleged.
