Wrestlers Protest: 'We feel hurt,' Grapplers react to PT Usha comments

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As India's legendary athlete PT Usha criticised the ongoing Wrestlers Protest in New Delhi, the leading faces of the sit-in questioned how their efforts to get justice through a peaceful protest amounts to indiscipline.

Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi Mallik said they were hurt to hear the comments of PT Usha, who in her capacity as the president of the Indian Olympic Association, called Wrestlers Protest an indisciplined action.

"We feel hurt by PT Usha's comment," Malik told reporters on the fifth day of the Wrestlers Protest. "She is not supporting us despite being a woman herself. What indiscipline have we done? We are sitting here peacefully. If we had got justice, we would not have done this."

PT Usha earlier said the Wrestlers Protest was unjustified as they should have approached the sports authorities instead of taking to the streets and should have waited for the report of the Oversight Committee. The committee submitted its report in the first week of April.

"The players should not have protested on the streets. They should have at least waited for the report of the committee. What they have done is not good for the game and the country. It is a negative approach," Usha said.

Wrestlers, however, have maintained that they sat on the protest after waiting for three months. The wrestlers have also claimed that the members of the Oversight Committee and other officials of the Sports Ministry stopped taking their calls. Vinesh Phogat further added that they called PT Usha as well but she didn't answer their call either and feared her comment came under pressure.

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, who has remained silent for the first four days of the second Wrestlers Protest, said on Thursday that he heard the grievances of wrestlers three months ago and took actions accordingly while mentioning the efforts of the government for the athletes.

"The Narendra Modi government has done excellent work for sportspersons in the country. The government spends a lot to help sportspersons. Some 3,000 players get ₹ 5 lakh on their boarding, lodging and training. They also get ₹ 1.20 lakh for personal expenses," Thakur told reporters on Thursday.

"Some wrestlers were sitting at Jantar Mantar (in Delhi). Who spoke to them? I left all my programmes in Himachal Pradesh and heard them for 12 hours. Seven hours one day, over five hours the next day. We did a press conference late at night.

"We made a committee... The Narendra Modi government is very clear about standing with the players and helping them. For us, the priorities are the sports and the players. We won't compromise with them."