Former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh has made controversial remarks about Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who recently became a Congress candidate for the Haryana Assembly elections. Singh, who faces allegations of sexual harassment from wrestlers, accused Phogat of cheating to secure her place at the Olympics and suggested that her failure to win a medal was divine retribution.

Singh questioned the integrity of Phogat’s Olympic trials, asking, “Can a player give trials in two weight categories in a single day? Can the trials be paused for five hours after the weigh-in?” He implied that Phogat’s Olympic participation was unjust and claimed, “God has punished you for it.”

He further alleged that Phogat’s Olympic spot was undeserved, asserting, “She took the place of another athlete who had defeated her in the trials and created a commotion to secure her spot. Whatever happened to her was justified.”

Singh also targeted wrestler Bajrang Punia, alleging that Punia participated in the Asian Games without completing the necessary trials. He questioned the legitimacy of Punia’s participation and criticized the pause in wrestling activities in Haryana, which he claimed lasted for approximately 2.5 years.

Phogat and Punia, prominent figures in the wrestlers’ protest against Singh last year, recently joined the Congress. Phogat has been named as the candidate for the Julana constituency, while Punia has been appointed as the working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress.

Singh accused Phogat of being the “face of the Congress conspiracy,” alleging that she was part of a plot orchestrated by Congress leader Deepender Hooda and his family. He defended himself against allegations of disrespecting women, saying, “If anyone is guilty of disrespecting daughters, it is Bajrang and Vinesh. Bhupinder Hooda, who wrote the script, is responsible for that.”

Singh also expressed his willingness to support the BJP campaign in Haryana if asked and predicted that any BJP candidate would defeat Phogat in the upcoming elections.