NEW DELHI: Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is found guilty for raping two women nearly 15 years ago, has claimed to have played a huge role in guiding the greatest Indian sports personnel.
In September 2016, speaking at an event, the spiritual leader claimed to have coached Indian sportsmen in the form of cricketer Virat Kohli and boxer Vijender Singh.
“I know A to Z of sports. I have played 32 national games. I have coached many players who have brought medals for India,” DSS chief is seen telling in an interview video.
From Indian skipper Virat Kohli to Shikhar Dhawan to boxer Vijender Singh, all come to him for advice, he claimed.
“He (Virat Kohli) was unable to convert good starts into big scores. I suggested him to practise hard and continue learning,” the Dera Sacha Sauda chief is quoted by Spotboye.com.
“He was very happy with my advice. He called back to thank me as he moved ahead in his career. Besides him, players like Yusuf Pathan, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Amit Mishra have also visited me for guidance,” the self-styled godman is saying to an audience in the video.
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Now, an old video in which Indian cricketers including Virat Kholi, Ashish Nehra and Vijay Dahiya can be seen taking the blessings of MSG, as he is popularly known as has surfaced and gone viral on the internet.
As news of the conviction of the 50-year-old self-styled godman spread on Friday, the Dera chief’s followers of more than one lakh retorts to large-scale violence in Panchkhula.
The Punjab and Haryana high court criticised the BJP government for “politically surrendering” to the Dera Sacha Sauda to lure vote banks.
“This was a political surrender to lure vote banks … they were outsiders, you allowed them to enter and stay,” said the three-judge bench, reported HT.