Back-to-back mahapanchayats in support of wrestlers raise political heat in Haryana, neighbourhood

If the protesters take their appeal to poll-bound Rajasthan, as suggested by ex-J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik, it is bound to create more trouble for the BJP.

BKU leader Rakesh Tikait addressing a Khap 'Mahapanchayat' organised over the ongoing protest by wrestlers against WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in Muzaffarnagar. (PTI)

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Back-to-back mahapanchayats in support of the wrestlers protesting against a BJP MP over sexual harassment allegations have further charged the political atmosphere in Haryana and its neighbouring areas.

In the past four days, as many as three mahapanchayats have taken place — in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar and Haryana’s Kurukshetra and Sonipat districts — attended by people from different areas. The leading farmer and khap leaders of the region have addressed these mahapanchayats while extending their support to the protesting wrestlers, who have accused Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment and launched an agitation seeking his arrest.

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The three mahapanchayats were held soon after the protesting wrestlers were dragged and manhandled during their protest in Delhi on May 28, followed by the announcement by the wrestlers that they would immerse their medals in the Ganga, which further charged the issue with emotion.

As several of the wrestlers who are leading the ongoing agitation are from the rural belt of Haryana, the issue has already created a lot of heat in the state. Now the agitation is set to spread to new areas.

At Sunday’s mahapanchayat held in Sonipat’s Mundlana village, Dalit leader and Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary extended support to the wrestlers. Addressing the event, former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik urged them to visit Rajasthan, adding that people there were ready to support them. If the wrestlers now visit Rajasthan, it would be bound to charge the political atmosphere there too as the Assembly elections in the state are due later this year.

The Opposition in Haryana has already sharpened its attack on the ruling BJP-JJP alliance, accusing them of not taking up the issue of the wrestlers at the highest levels of the government “effectively”. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has attacked state BJP leaders for maintaining “silence” on this sensitive issue. With support for the wrestlers growing, the Opposition is expected to raise the heat on the ruling alliance in the coming days.

Despite increasing pressure, the Manohar Lal Khattar government, barring a few of its leaders, has largely stuck to the stance that law will take its course. Khattar earlier said he did not support the wrestlers resorting to protests, adding: “The issue is not related to Haryana. It is related to players’ teams and the Union government. The Supreme Court has already ordered registration of FIRs.”