Mumbai — Opposition parties in Maharashtra have voiced sharp criticism of both the BJP and the Board of Control for Cricket in India following the decision to go ahead with the India-Pakistan match scheduled for 14 September in the Asia Cup. Critics describe the match as deeply insensitive given the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people lost their lives, calling the fixture an affront to victims’ families and the security forces.
Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray asked whether “blood and cricket can flow together”, questioning the morality of engaging in sport with a country accused of sponsoring or harbouring terrorists. He accused the BCCI of becoming “anti-national” by putting financial gains from broadcasting rights, sponsorship, and ad revenue ahead of national dignity.
The Maharashtra Congress said allowing the match to proceed amounted to diplomatic failure and insult to the kin of Pahalgam victims and soldiers who have fallen. It argued that the government’s silence and passivity over national security concerns undermined public sentiment and betrayed the sacrifices of the armed forces.
The Nationalist Congress Party criticised what it described as double standards. Its spokesperson suggested that permitting this match while condemning other interactions with Pakistan exposed inconsistency in government policy.
Defending the decision, Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar, who represents the BCCI in the Asia Cricket Council Board, said international sporting fixtures cannot always be held hostage to political or diplomatic stand-offs. He emphasised that India’s participation in international tournaments is based on schedules set by global cricketing bodies, not unilateral domestic decisions.
Families of those killed in the Pahalgam attack have also spoken out. Shubham Dwivedi’s father, Sanjay Dwivedi, expressed anger at the match, calling it hurtful to people who lost loved ones, and asked whether India should reconsider all sporting ties with Pakistan under current circumstances.
Aaditya Thackeray further suggested broadcasters in India should decline to telecast the match, framing such participation as complicity in prioritising entertainment over accountability. He referenced past remarks by India’s leadership that “water and blood cannot flow together” after cross-border attacks, and questioned why those principles seem to be ignored now.
Some BJP and allied voices pushed back. They argued that cricket diplomacy operates under its own norms and that boycotting scheduled competitions could harm India’s image in international sport. One BJP figure pointed out that past cricket interactions with Pakistan have been allowed in certain contexts, asserting that continuity in sport sometimes transcends political discord.
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