NEW DELHI: Amid the row over the election of
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
loyalist
Sanjay Singh
as
Wrestling Federation of India
(
WFI
) president, Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi
on Wednesday visited Virendra Akhada at Jhajjar's Chhara village, Haryana to meet Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and other wrestlers.
Gandhi, a former Congress president, met and interacted with the wrestlers at the akhada and heard their plight amid the ongoing clash with the WFI.
The 53-year-old politician also got involved in the training session with the wrestlers and also learned a few trades of the sport while showcasing his Jiu-Jitsu skills.
A video of the interaction was posted on social media by wrestler Bajrang, where Gandhi can also be seen having desi breakfast at the akhada.
Gandhi's visit at the akhada came a day after World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat returned her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to the government in protest against Sanjay's election.
Last week, Bajrang had returned his Padma Shri in protest over Sanjay's election as president in the WFI polls.
Earlier, Sanjay Singhwas elected as the WFI president as the panel led by the close aide of Brij Bhushan won 13 of the 15 posts.
The wrestlers had demanded that no close associate of Brij Bhushan should enter the WFI administration.
Following the election, Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik announced that she would quit the sport.
Rahul Gandhi interacts with wrestler Bajrang Punia at Virender Arya Akhara in Jhajjar
However, the Sports Ministry later suspended the newly-elected panel for not following the provisions of its own constitution while taking decisions and also asked the IOA to constitute an ad-hoc panel to manage the affairs of the sports body.
(With inputs from PTI)
English (US) ·