Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday appealed to the people to come out in support of protesting wrestlers, alleging that the Modi government was trying to crush their voices in “arrogance of power”.

The Congress has already extended support to the wrestlers after the Mahila Congress president Netta D’Souza, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda visited the protest site on Tuesday to express solidarity.

Party’s communications chief Jairam Ramesh had questioned the Prime Minister’s silence on the issue even as he lost no opportunity to exploit their triumphs for political gains.

“Sportspersons bring honour to the country. The country feels proud when they win medals at international events because of dedication and hard work. The triumph of women athletes is more precious.

“They are sitting near Parliament, with tears in their eyes, as nobody is paying heed to their complaints against sexual exploitation. The innocent girls trusted the Government when it promised an investigation. But there was no probe,” Priyanka said.

“The question of punishing the guilty did not arise. Does the Government want to shield the guilty?” she asked.

“Voices are crushed in this manner when the arrogance of a party and its leaders reaches the sky. Come and join these sisters’ fight for justice. This is a question of the country’s honour,” Priyanka added.

Former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik also visited the protest site.