New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party MP and outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh – who is facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment – was present in the Lok Sabha when the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed last week.The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, which seeks to provide 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. was passed by the Lok Sabha on September 20.The Bill, pegged as “historic” by the BJP government, was in the works for 27 years and was passed in parliament just two days after it was first announced.Singh was seen sitting in the Lok Sabha among BJP MPs only a few rows behind Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Amit Shah as the latter gave his speech on the Bill and pledged his government’s support towards women empowerment.Brij Bhushan Sharn Singh in Lok Sabha during the debate on the women’s reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha. Amit Shah is seen at the bottom right corner.Singh also marked his presence in parliament by posting photos of himself on X (formerly Twitter) and said that he was present while MPs walked from the old parliament to the new parliament building on September 20.नए भारत के लोकतंत्र का नया मंदिर!आधुनिक भारत और लोकतंत्र के प्रतीक नए संसद भवन के मन्दिर में विश्व के लोकप्रिय भारत यशस्वी मा प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी के नेतृत्व में नए भारत का नया इतिहास लिखने हेतु सभी संसद सदस्यों के साथ प्रवेश किया। #NewParliamentHouse… pic.twitter.com/IDQRBlDMQd— BrijBhushan Sharan Singh (@b_bhushansharan) September 20, 2023Singh, a six-time MP who currently represents Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh, has been accused of sexual harassment by six wrestlers during his tenure as WFI chief. Inaction against him forced the wrestlers, including Olympic medal winners, to hold a protest in Jantar Mantar demanding action against him twice this year. During the debate on the women’s reservation Bill, at least two female MPs questioned the BJP government’s commitment to women’s empowerment as Singh sat in the house.TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said that the BJP government needs to show genuine respect towards women by “aligning their words with their actions.”“I would urge my colleagues in the BJP to prioritise transformation of the mindset. It is imperative that they demonstrate genuine respect for women by aligning their actions with their words. Moreover, it is crucial that they take appropriate action against individuals who are harming women and showing disrespect towards women. The golden girls of the country who got us medals have been sexually harassed and they were in Jantar Mantar but the perpetrator sits here today – Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who has not been brought to book,” she said.“So if you are really interested in taking care of women towards betterment and progress then why don’t you take action against the perpetrators?”In the Rajya Sabha, Dastidar’s party colleague TMC MP Derek O’Brien also asked if the BJP is serious about the empowerment of women.“The struggles of women are not because of women but because of men and their outlook of women. I don’t want to waste my time on a former wrestling chief,” he said, alluding to Singh.The irony of Singh’s presence during the debate was also raised by Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal in the Lok Sabha. Referring to the delimitation and census clause tied to the legislation, Badal said that before an election, every political party comes to woo women voters.“Why aren’t crimes against women ever discussed in this house? In the last five years crimes against women have increased by 26%. This is the reason that when women in Manipur are harassed, the government does not open its mouth for three months. And only breaks its silence after a no-confidence motion. In Haryana, a minister is accused of sexual assault but enjoys a cabinet rank status. Women wrestlers who have won medals for our country are waiting for months but the Baahubali is still sitting here. 306 MPs [in both houses] have cases of rape and sexual assault… Is this Beti Bachao?”Of his six Lok Sabha victories, Singh has won five times on a BJP ticket and once (in 2009) on an SP ticket. He won the first two elections in 1991 and 1999 from the Gonda Lok Sabha seat. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP gave him a ticket from Balrampur and nominated Ghanshyam Shukla from Gonda. Shukla died in a road accident on the day of polling.He was expelled from the BJP after he voted against a no-confidence motion moved by the opposition against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2008.He was elected MP from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat in 2009 on an SP ticket. In 2014, he rejoined the BJP and again became an MP from Kaiserganj, repeating his victory in 2019 as well.On Saturday, the Delhi police told additional chief metropolitan magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal that the BJP MP harassed women at every opportunity. “Whenever and wherever he got the opportunity, he outraged the modesty of the complainants,” the court was told.On September 19, when the Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha, wrestler Vinesh Phogat in a statement on X questioned the BJP government for bringing the legislation while protecting Singh.“Along with congratulating the government for bringing this bill, I want to ask that on one hand the government is bringing this bill to give respect to women and on the other hand it is giving protection to a person like Brij Bhushan accused of sexual exploitation of female wrestlers..,” she wrote.आज लोकसभा में कानून मंत्री श्री अर्जुन राम मेघवाल ने महिला आरक्षण बिल ( नारी शक्ति वंदन अधिनियम ) को लोकसभा में पेश किया। इस बिल के दोनो सदनों में पारित होने के बाद लोकसभा में महिला सांसदों की संख्या 181 हो जाएगी। इस बिल को लाने के लिए मैं सरकार को बधाई देने के साथ साथ ये पूछना…— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) September 19, 2023“The government is not only saving a person like Brij Bhushan but is also promoting people with similar mentality. After the bill comes, I hope that the 181 women MPs who will sit in the Parliament will fight for the respect of women and stand with women.”
