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Brij Bhushan Singh gets grand welcome in Gonda with ‘Sher aaya’ chants, flower petals after acquittal in wrestlers' case
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Brij Bhushan Singh reached Ayodhya's international airport in a chartered aircraft, where supporters greeted him with drums, music and chants. Thousands of supporters gathered along the route from the airport, with flower petals showered on his convoy.Ayodhya: BJP MP and ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh arrives to offer prayers at Hanuman Nagar after getting acquitted in the alleged sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers (Image: PTI)(PTI)Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP from Gonda's Kaisarganj seat, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh received a massive welcome on Thursday as he returned to his home district Gonda for the first time after being acquitted in the sexual harassment case filed by wrestlers.Singh reached Ayodhya's international airport in a chartered aircraft, where supporters greeted him with drums, music and chants, according to PTI.Thousands of supporters gathered along the route from the airport, with flower petals showered on his convoy using excavators. As hundreds of vehicles followed his convoy, supporters raised slogans of "Sher Aaya" (the lion has arrived) and fireworks were also set off during the welcome.In neighbouring Ayodhya, Singh travelled in an open jeep to the Hanumangarhi temple, where he offered prayers from outside the shrine and sought blessings from seers.During the procession, his elder son and Gonda Sadar MLA Prateek Bhushan Singh stood through the vehicle's sunroof, waved a mace and said "truth has prevailed".After his visit to Hanumangarhi, Singh headed to the Nandini Nagar Sports Stadium, where a large rally titled "Satyamev Jayate" was organised.Before arriving at the venue, he also offered special prayers at the Nandini Gaumata temple. Extensive arrangements, including a community feast, were made for the event. Around 40 quintals of laddoos were prepared, while more than 500 batuks from Ayodhya were invited to welcome Singh.“Upon reaching Hanumangarhi Temple (Ayodhya Dham), we had darshan and performed worship of Lord Bajrangbali Maharaj and received His divine blessings..! Jai Bajrang Bali,” Singh said on X.‘Had I bowed down in this case, the matter would have ended’Singh described the sexual harassment allegations made against him by six women wrestlers as politically driven, claiming that the controversy was limited to accusations of "good touch" and "bad touch" and did not involve anything beyond that.Speaking at the "Satyamev Jayate" felicitation programme at Nandini Nagar College in Gonda after his acquittal by a Delhi court, the 69-year-old said, "I did not pull anyone's sari. There may have been physical contact while putting medals around the wrestlers' necks, which created a storm. The allegations against me were politically motivated."He said he could have brought the matter to an end by giving in to pressure but decided against doing so."Had I bowed down in this case, the matter would have ended, but my character would have been assassinated," Singh said.Claiming that the protest against him was unlike any other, Singh said no sexual harassment-related movement anywhere in the world had reached such a scale."Even there was no such movement against US President Donald Trump or against any person accused of rape anywhere in the world," he said.Singh's acquittalA Delhi court at Rouse Avenue on Monday acquitted Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar in the sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers.The allegations against Singh emerged in April-May 2023, after women wrestlers staged a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, accusing the then WFI chief of sexually harassing athletes. World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat, along with wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, led the 36-day protest that drew widespread attention.About the AuthorGarvit BhiraniGarvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers na
Susan Collins, Maine's Republican senator, will vote against Todd Blanche's nomination for Attorney General due to his political actions undermining the DOJ’s independence. Key concerns include his deal shielding Trump from IRS audits and support for anti-abortion measures.U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) departs from a Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on August 04, 2026 in Washington, DC.(Getty Images via AFP)Susan Collins, the Republican senator from Maine, on Tuesday said she will vote against Todd Blanche as Attorney General, hours after his nomination cleared a key Senate vote."While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political," Collins said in a statement."Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department's independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation," the statement added.Collins, who is up for reelection in a state Donald Trump lost in 2024, cited Blanche’s approval of a deal shielding Trump and his family from Internal Revenue Service audits, the creation of a $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund and a promise to an anti-abortion organization that he would seek to prohibit the mailing of abortion drugs as reasons for her opposition.Collins also said attempts to indict Democratic Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin “over their ill-advised, but constitutionally protected, videos encouraging resistance to unlawful orders.”Todd Blanche gets more Republican supportEarlier, John Cornyn from Texas and Thom Tillis from North Carolina, the two Republicans who had initially opposed Blanche’s nomination over Trump's proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, agreed to support him after reaching a written agreement with the Acting USAG.They also said that Blanche agreed to narrow the scope of the IRS settlement's audit protections for Trump.Another Republican, John Curtis from Utah, who had previously indicated he had concerns about voting for Blanche, said Tuesday that he would also support him.Todd Blanche can't afford losing more votesThis has left just two Republicans - Bill Cassidy from Louisiana and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska who haven’t said how they will vote.All Democratic Senators are expected to oppose the nomination of Blanche, and with Mitch McConnell, who is recovering from a fall in June, still absent, the Trump nominee can only afford to lose two GOP votes.The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney.Vice President JD Vance, in a post on X following the committee vote, said Blanche "will continue to serve the American people and the Trump Administration loyally, and he will make a great Attorney General."The full Senate, where Republicans hold a majority, is expected to vote later this week to confirm Blanche as attorney general. He has been serving as acting attorney general since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April.Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Blanche represented Trump in his New York trial over alleged "hush money" paid to porn star Stormy Daniels.He was also on the legal defense team in two federal cases brought against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith. Both cases were dropped after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.(With inputs from agencies)Get Latest real-time updatesStay updated with the latest Trending, India, World and US news. HomeNewsUs NewsSusan Collins to vote against Todd Blanche's nomination for Attorney General, even as other Republicans back himMore
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