New Delhi: Days after saying that he was ‘postponing’ his Ayodhya rally scheduled for June 5, sexual harassment accused BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is now reportedly set to address a BJP rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj, his constituency, on June 11.According to The Indian Express, this rally is being organised under BJP’s Mahasampark Abhiyan for the 2024 elections.News18 quoted sources as saying that “this will be a mega rally to show his strength and power as voices in support of the wrestlers continue to grow”.Singh had put out a statement on his official Facebook page on Friday, June 2, to the effect that the event has been postponed for a “few days” citing police investigation into the allegations levelled against him and Supreme Court directions. “I worked for the unity of different castes and communities during my tenure [as an MP]. That is why my political opponents and their parties have levelled frivolous allegations against me,” Singh’s post in Hindi stated.Singh wrote on Facebook that he was “respecting the serious directions of the Supreme Court” and postponing the programme.It is not clear exactly which directions of the Supreme Court Singh was referring to. On May 4, the apex court closed the proceedings in the petition filed by wrestlers who wanted their allegations against Singh to be investigated. The court had asked police to ensure adequate security was given to the complainants.Singh has also said the allegations against him are false and have been levelled against him because he has been a long-serving MP.The preparation for the rally was in full swing, and Singh had held several rounds of meetings with Hindu religious leaders. It was expected that besides the seers of Ayodhya, priests from Bahraich, Gonda, and parts of Shravasti would also attend the event.Also read: Who Are the ‘Saints’ of Ayodhya Defending Brij Bhushan Singh?Meanwhile, Ayodhya’s district magistrate, Nitish Kumar, told The Wire over the phone that the district administration had not received any applications for ‘Jan Chetna Maharally’ on June 5. However, Kumar added that the district administration had received an application for organising a Sant symposium, which is under consideration.Recently, details of the two FIRs against Singh – including one under the POCSO Act – came to light.The FIRs contain at least two instances of Singh allegedly demanding “sexual favours” in lieu of professional assistance, at least 15 incidents of sexual harassment that include 10 episodes of inappropriate touching, molestation that includes running hands over breasts, touching the navel, and several instances of intimidation including stalking — and a shared sense of fear and trauma, The Indian Express reported.While several UP BJP are said to have been gathering support for Singh and were also helping prepare for the now-cancelled Ayodhya rally, others have been less forthcoming. For instance, Chaudhary Birender Singh, former Union minister and a prominent BJP Jat leader from Haryana, told The Wire that the BJP will suffer politically if this issue is not resolved soon.He did not elaborate on how the party could suffer but stressed that the inquiry against Singh must be swift and fair. “The findings of the inquiry must be satisfactory to complainants, who must also feel that action was taken without any prejudice,” he said.“Nearly half of the electorate in India are women. If we talk about women empowerment, we should act on it too,” he added.
