Terming the India-Pakistan cricket clash at the Asia Cup tournament in Dubai as an “insult” to national sentiments, the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday announced a Har Ghar se Sindoor protest, in which its women wing activists would collect vermilion from homes across the state on Sunday and send it by post to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Talking to media persons here, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said that playing cricket with Pakistan was an insult to the emotions of the people and amounted to treachery.
“The cricket match is an insult to the people’s emotions and mocking our patriotism. The PM had said that ‘blood and water’ cannot flow together… Then how can cricket and blood continue together? Playing cricket with the Pakistan team is treachery,” Uddhav said.
Accusing the ruling BJP of playing “business in patriotism,” Uddhav said, “The business of patriotism is only for money. They are going to play the match tomorrow also because they want all the money they will get from that match”.
“Tomorrow, our women wing workers will hit the streets across Maharashtra, collect sindoor from every house and send in boxes to Prime Minister Modi,” the Sena (UBT) chief said.
Uddhav called for a boycott of the Asia Cup clashes between the two nations to effectively convey India’s stance on Pakistan-sponsored terror to the world.
Uddhav reiterated that India should not engage all types of sporting-cultural relations with Pakistan in the backdrop of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 Indians were killed.
Claiming that the children of BJP leaders would travel to Dubai on Sunday to watch the tournament, the Sena (UBT) chief took a potshot at Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s son Jayesh Shah who is the ICC president. “If Jay Shah attends the Asia Cup matches, then he will be called a traitor,” Uddhav said.
Singling out the ruling BJP for castigation, former minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said that the Modi Government’s “attempts” to balance cricket diplomacy and national security concerns amounted to a betrayal of the peoples’ sentiments.
SS (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut demanded a clarification from the BJP “if the ‘Operation Sindoor’ launched by India on May 7 is still going on or not”.
Recalling a meeting between the late Balasaheb Thackeray and the former Pakistani skipper Javed Miandad way back in July 2004, Uddhav said: “My father had categorically told Miandad that there would be no cricket matches with Pakistan till his country continued indulge in terror strikes against India”.
The Shiv Sena has been consistent in its stand that there should not be any cricketing ties with Pakistan till such time that the neighbouring country stopped exporting-supporting terror or engaged in extremist strikes in this country.
It may be recalled that on October 22, 1991, Shiv Sainiks had dug up the Wankhede Stadium pitch in Mumbai in the run-up to a one-day cricket match between India and Pakistan, forcing the BCCI to cancel the fixture.
The irate Sena activists, it may be recalled, had on February 4, 2014, whipped up anti-Pakistani frenzy, by barging inside the Mumbai Press Club and disrupting a news conference organised by the Mekaal Hasan Band (MHB), a well-known sufi rock band from Pakistan to announce the launch of an Indo-Pak cultural initiative involving artistes from both the countries.
Earlier in October 2010, popular television show Bigg Boss-4 had run into trouble on Monday, after the Sena opposed the Colours Television’s decision to invite two Pakistani artistes Veena Malik and Nawazish Ali Begum in the reality show hosted by Bollywood actor Salman Khan. The Sena had threatened to disrupt the reality show in protest against the participation of two Pakistani artistes in it.
There have been many protests over the years against Pakistan cricketers and artistes participating in matches or holding programs in India.
