The suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India by the Union sports ministry was a "farce", the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party said on Sunday.

It said by taking such a decision the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party cannot absolve itself from the accusation of not helping women wrestlers.

Earlier in the day, the sports ministry suspended the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) till further orders after the newly-elected body made a "hasty announcement" of organising the U-15 and U-20 nationals "without following due procedure and not giving sufficient notice to wrestlers" for preparations.

The ministry also said the new body was working under the "complete control of former (WFI) office-bearers", which was not in conformity with the National Sports Code.

The WFI elections were held on December 21 with former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's loyalist, Sanjay Singh, and his panel winning the polls by big margins.

In a message on social media platform X, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP's national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, "If this can be done, then why did they allow elections to be conducted?" "By suspending the committee if BJP-led ministry thinks they are absolving themselves from not helping the women wrestlers, they are mistaken," Crasto added.

Several top wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik and World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan and the case is being heard in the Delhi High Court.

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