After Uddhav targets govt on India-Pak cricket match, BJP hits out at him for ties with Cong

Mumbai, Sep 14 (PTI) The BJP on Sunday accused Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray of hypocrisy over his call to boycott the India-Pakistan Asia Cup cricket match, and questioned his alliance with the Congress, blaming it for emboldening Pakistan in the past.

Traditional rivals India and Pakistan will face off in Dubai on Sunday evening in what will be the first match between the two sides since the escalation of the border conflict in May when India launched strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan after 26 tourists were killed in a dastardly attack in Pahalgam on April 22.

According to the government’s new sports policy, India will not play bilateral contests against Pakistan but will continue to face them in multilateral tournaments such as the ongoing Asia Cup and ICC events.

Maharashtra BJP's chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said Thackeray, who accused the BJP of doing business in the name of patriotism, should answer whether the "sindoor (vermilion) of Mumbaikars" was any less than the 'sindoor' being sent by his party workers to the Prime Minister's Office.

"After the 26/11 attacks, the Indian Army was ready, but the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress got scared, which emboldened Pakistan. Today, the same Congress has become Uddhav Thackeray's most favoured party, while he finds PM Narendra Modi, who taught Pakistan a lesson on its soil, unacceptable," Upadhye said in a post on X.

At a press conference in Mumbai on Saturday, Thackeray, whose party is an ally of the Congress, said the cricket match between India and Pakistan in Dubai is an insult to national sentiments.

He appealed to people not to watch the match and said his party's women workers will collect sindoor and send it to the Prime Minister's Office Reacting strongly, Upadhye questioned why Thackeray maintained silence after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.

"You keep shouting 'Mumbai is ours', but why did you remain quiet after 26/11? Do you have the courage to ask (Congress MP) Rahul Gandhi questions about it?" he asked.

The BJP spokesperson further alleged that under the Congress-led government in the past, Pakistan continued to execute conspiracies across the country, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and Mumbai too became a victim.

"Congress gave Pakistan the 'Most Favoured Nation' status. Now, that very Congress is Thackeray's most favoured party. In truth, Congress is the root cause of the Pakistan problem, and Thackeray has embraced it," Upadhye claimed.

Maharashtra BJP media cell chief Navnath Ban also tore into Thackeray and his close aide and Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, calling their brand of nationalism "hypocritical".

"If you want to oppose the India-Pakistan match, first seek the resignation of your own party colleague Milind Narvekar, who is on the Mumbai Cricket Association's apex council. Real nationalism should begin at home. But Thackeray will never do that; instead, he will indulge in hollow protests," Ban told reporters.

He further mocked the Sena (UBT) leaders, saying if they were true patriots, they should prove it by confronting pro-Pakistan elements in Mumbai's Bhendi Bazaar or Malvani instead of staging token protests.

"When India wins, burst crackers outside Matoshree (Thackeray's residence in Mumbai), in Bhandup and outside the Saamana (Sena-UBT mouthpiece) office. But the truth is, they feel happier when Pakistan wins," Ban alleged.

He also said the Sena (UBT) leaders were trying to politicise cricket while remaining silent on those within their own camp associated with the sport.

"If you are really against India-Pakistan cricket, start from your own home by asking Narvekar to step down. But since Thackeray lacks that courage, his agitation is only for show," he claimed.

Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam also targeted Thackeray, sharing a picture of him with Narvekar on X and asking whether the Sena (UBT) chief had ever questioned Narvekar's views on the India-Pakistan contest.

On Saturday, Thackeray recalled his father, late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's stand, saying, "If blood and water cannot flow together, then how can cricket and blood (go) together?" He said his party's women activists would collect sindoor and send it to the prime minister to remind the government of its responsibilities.

Referring to Bal Thackeray's meeting with Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad at Matoshree years ago, Uddhav said his father had categorically told Miandad that there could be no cricket until terror attacks from Pakistan ceased.

"Till the time terror does not stop, we shouldn't maintain any relations with Pakistan," the former Maharashtra chief minister asserted. PTI ND GK