Mumbai: The India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup cricket tournament scheduled Sunday evening has once against pitted the two Shiv Senas against each other, with the party led by Uddhav Thackeray calling for its cancellation, and slamming the Eknath Shinde-led Sena for not taking an aggressive stance.
The Shinde-led party, which claims to be the real Shiv Sena and the true follower of Bal Thackeray’s ideology, has not yet officially declared their stand on the match, which will be played in the United Arab Emirates.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut slammed the Shinde-led faction, which is part of the BJP-led ruling alliance in the state.
“Those who are sitting in the state government as Shiv Sena who are following Balasaheb’s thoughts, let me tell you Balasaheb’s thought was India-Pakistan should not play cricket,” he said, training his guns at deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and his party.
“What is Shinde doing? What are his MLAs, MPs doing? The one who dug up the pitch back then is also in their party now. I just want to say that Operation Sindoor is not over, women’s fury is not over. There is pain everywhere,” he said, referring to a 1991 incident when undivided Shiv Sena workers dug up the pitch at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium to prevent an India-Pakistan match.
Shinde’s Shiv Sena has not officially stated its stand on the match, but its MP Naresh Mhaske told ThePrint that they have not raised any objection with the central government over the match.
“This is not a tournament that we have called for. So what can we do about it? This isn’t being played in India as well. This is a larger tournament. And no, we haven’t spoken to the Central government regarding this,” Mhaske said.
However, his party colleague and national spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam told ThePrint he was hoping the match would be cancelled.
“From what I understand, even the government of India will take a call in the coming days about cancelling the match. My stand is clear though. We should not play Pakistan as long as Pakistan is not ready to cooperate with us as far as terrorism is concerned,” Nirupam told ThePrint.
Also Read: With troubles on & off field, Pakistan faces arch-rival India in ‘do-or-die’ Champions Trophy match
‘This is treason’
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Raut criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi also for “not standing” true to his own words. Raut announced that on Sunday when the match will be played, Shiv Sena UBT’s women wing will come out on streets with a campaign ‘Sindoor Raksha Abhiyan’.
“You (the prime minister) said that water and blood will not flow together. If water and blood will not flow together, then how will blood and cricket go together? This is treason, shamelessness,” Raut said.
Political analyst Abhay Deshpande said taking such a stance is imperative for the Sena (UBT) ahead of the local body polls. The charge hurled at their leader Uddhav Thackeray was that he abdicated the Hindutva ideology when he aligned with the Congress, Deshpande added.
“So, for the Sena UBT, it is important that they show they are still that same party built on Bal Thackeray’s legacy and are following Hindutva. Whereas Eknath Shinde and his party are concerned, they cannot take an open stand considering Jay Shah, son of Amit Shah, is the chairman of ICC (International Cricket Council),” Deshpande said.
When Shiv Sena dug up pitch
The undivided Shiv Sena, led by Balasaheb Thackeray, often unequivocally and aggressively registered its protest against India playing Pakistan.
In October 1991, Shiv Sainiks dug up the pitch at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium to prevent an India-Pakistan match. In 1999, they damaged the pitch at Delhi’s Feroze Shah Kotla ground to protest against an India-Pakistan game.
In 2009, the undivided Shiv Sena warned Shah Rukh Khan against taking Pakistani players in his IPL team. But the actor did not pay heed to the warning. Subsequently, the party called for a boycott of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer My Name is Khan.
Meanwhile, Shishir Shinde, who was at the forefront in digging the pitch at the Wankhede told ThePrint Friday, “What I did was three decades ago. So many years have passed now. But since we play other sports, nobody says anything then. The match is being played in the UAE, it is not that we are inviting them here. That time Bal Thackeray had a different stand. Things are different now,” said Shinde, now a part of Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
Sanjay Raut, meanwhile, also questioned the RSS and Hindutva organisations like the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and their stand over the matter.
“My question is to the BJP, not to the government. My question is for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, RSS, and Bajrang Dal. Do you have any role in this or not? Operation Sindoor has not ended yet; it is still going on. The sindoor of our 26 women was wiped off in Pahalgam. Their pain, grief, and anger have not ended. Even today, they are in shock. And you people are going to play cricket with Pakistan in Abu Dhabi?” Raut said.
However, the BJP downplayed Raut’s criticism.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the media, “Navratri is approaching. And during Navratri, sindoor holds a special importance. Even Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj would apply tika on his forehead before going to war. That’s why I feel their (Shiv Sena UBT) Hindutva has come back. They must have understood the importance of sindoor. So we welcome it. We will fight against those who are against our country.”
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: India vs Pakistan in Asia Cup? Cricket with terror state Pakistan is good for business after all
