Hyderabad: The speed with which the Central government swung into action to placate rising tempers among the wrestlers by suspending the newly elected governing body of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has come along expected lines coming as it did just a few months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The question remains unanswered as to why there was such a swift action this time from the Centre unlike their response during the wrestlers' protest earlier this year where the centre tested the patience of the grapplers, even forcing them to go on heart-breaking street protests. While the wrestlers' row was dormant for some time now, the recent election of Sanjay Singh, a close-aide of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, as the new WFI president triggered a sharp response from the grapplers, with Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik quitting the game and Bajrang Punia returning his Padma Shri, country's fourth highest civilian honour.
Amidst this, the electoral arithmetic behind the Centre's decision on the WFI body suspension became a hot topic of discussion among political circles all over the country. Most of the top wrestlers happened to be hailing from the numerically strong Jat community in the Hindi heartland. As per some estimates, the Jat voters play a decisive factor in over 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan.
The sudden flare-up over the WFI new body undoubtedly gave a sudden jolt to the ruling BJP at the Centre. That too, at a time when the saffron brigade is solely counting on a sweep in the Hindi heartland states for Narendra Modi to seek a successful third consecutive term as the country's prime minister in 2024. This is largely because of the BJP's dwindling numbers in the southern and eastern states.
The BJP has suffered heavy reverses in the south in the last few years. While it has lost power in Karnataka, the saffron party is wiped out in Andhra Pradesh. It is not able to make a mark in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. West Bengal has become a slip between the cup and the lip. All these southern and eastern states account for over 240 LS seats.
On the other hand, the northern and western states send over 300 members to the Lower House. Here, the BJP has shown a steady and consistent upper hand over Congress and the recent assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh bore witness to this. At this juncture, the BJP is apparently cautious not to risk losing the much-needed Jat support in the coming parliamentary elections.
Political pundits say that the BJP is trying hard to protect its MP and former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh, whose aide Sanjay Singh-led governing body of WFI was suspended. At the same time, the saffron brigade is bent on placating the ruffled feelings of the Jats.
Also, during the latest mimicry episode surrounding Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during the Parliament session, the BJP has tried to bring in the caste issue by describing the incident as an insult to the Jats. This has prompted the Congress to appeal to the ruling BJP not to drag caste into every issue.
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