WFI not suspended, activities stopped to spread confusion: Priyanka Gandhi
New Delhi, Dec 25: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the Centre on Monday of spreading "false news" about dissolving the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and alleged that its activities have been stopped to spread confusion and shelter a BJP MP who has been accused of sexual harassment by female wrestlers.
She also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) always protects the accused with all its might and tortures the victims whenever incidents of atrocities on women come to light.
"The BJP is spreading false news about dissolving the wrestling federation. The federation has not been dissolved, its activities have been stopped so that the accused can be saved by spreading confusion. Do they have to stoop to this level to suppress the voice of aggrieved women?" the Congress general secretary asked in a post in Hindi on X.
"The well-known players who made the country proud accused a BJP MP of sexual harassment and the government stood with the accused. The victims were tortured and the accused was rewarded," she said, adding that even the prime minister and the home minister did not pay attention to the issue.
"The home minister forgot the assurance given to the women wrestlers in return for withdrawing the agitation," Gandhi said.
She said it is the "height of arrogance" that the accused BJP MP, former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, ensured that the next national-level competitions will be played in his own district, on his own college ground.
"Defeated by this darkness and injustice, Olympic medal-winner Sakshi Malik quit wrestling and when players started returning their awards, the government is spreading rumours," Gandhi alleged.
"Wherever there are atrocities on a woman, this government with all the might of its power protects the accused and tortures the victims. We talk about women leadership in every field, but the people in power are busy harassing, suppressing and discouraging the women who are moving forward.
"The people of the country, the women of the country are watching all this," she said on the microblogging platform.
The WFI election was held on December 21, with Sanjay Singh, a loyalist of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and his panel winning the polls by big margins.
The sports ministry, however, suspended the WFI till further notice on Sunday, after the wrestling body made a "hasty announcement" of organising the under-15 and under-20 national competitions "without following due procedure and not giving sufficient notice to wrestlers" for preparations.
The ministry also said the new body was working under the "complete control of former (WFI) office-bearers", which was not in conformity with the National Sports Code.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh later said he has "taken retirement" from wrestling politics and the newly-elected body will take charge as he has many more responsibilities to look after, including next year's Lok Sabha polls.
Several top wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Malik and Bajrang Punia and World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat, have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh, and the case is being heard by the Delhi High Court. The former WFI chief has denied the allegations against him and claimed that he is being targeted under a conspiracy hatched by Congress leaders.
Malik announced her retirement from wrestling at a press conference in Delhi on Thursday, in protest against Sanjay Singh's election as the WFI chief.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
