Mumbai (Maharashtra): Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the ongoing protest by the star grapplers. Top wrestlers including Olympians Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, along with several others have accused BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexually harassing women grapplers and are protesting inaction against him.
The wrestlers had threatened to immerse their World Championship and Olympic medals in river Ganga in Haridwar on Tuesday. At the last moment, they refrained from the act following intervention by farmer leader Naresh Tikait. A Mahapanchayat will be held in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district to discuss the issue in detail. The wrestlers were also evicted from Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the place they were protesting on Sunday. They were detained and released later.
Also read: Wrestlers Protest: Mahapanchayat in Uttar Pradesh to be held today
In a letter to PM Modi, Raj Thackeray stated that the "daughters of the country" whose hard work won many medals for the country are pleading for justice. "I am writing this letter to draw your attention to an important issue. I am sure you are aware of the issue of the protest by the wrestlers. So I request you to pay attention to this subject as a 'Pradhan Sevak'," Raj Thackeray said.
According to Raj Thackeray, when PM Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he had come and helped after a tragedy in Uttarakhand and the 26/11 attacks that rocked Mumbai. "We as MNS now urge you to show the same kindness to the women wrestlers, who are protesting just a few kilometres away from your office or residence," Thackeray said. Raj Thackeray also referred to the detention of wrestlers by the Delhi Police in his letter.
"If the wrestlers are not given justice, then will any sportsperson feel like winning a medal for the country? I am confident that you will hear the wrestlers. Once again, I seek your intervention in this subject and find a solution to it," added Thackeray.
