Shiv Sena (UBT) escalated its opposition to the India–Pakistan Asia Cup clash by holding statewide “sindoor protests,” condemning the match as a grave insult to the sacrifices of Indian soldiers. The protests came in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 and the subsequent Operation Sindoor, with party leaders arguing that playing cricket against Pakistan amounted to disregarding the bloodshed at the border.
In Mumbai, party spokesperson Anand Dubey made a dramatic display of defiance by smashing a television set as workers shouted anti-Pakistan slogans, including “Bharat Mata ki jai” and “Cricket se humko bair nahi, Pakistan teri khair nahi.” The act of stomping on broken TV sets was meant to symbolise rejection of the match broadcast. Dubey thundered that cricketing ties with Pakistan were unacceptable, demanding a ban on the telecast and even urging Indian players to boycott the game mid-tournament to uphold national pride.
Party chief Uddhav Thackeray echoed this sentiment, branding the BCCI’s decision to play Pakistan as “anti-national” and questioning whether financial motives were outweighing patriotic duty. He reminded the public that Pakistan had previously refused to play in India and said the same firmness should have been displayed by the BCCI. Quoting the famous line, “If blood and water cannot flow together, how can cricket and blood be together?”, Thackeray criticised the Union government’s silence on the matter.
The controversy drew wider political fire as opposition parties, including Congress and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), accused the BJP and cricket authorities of failing diplomatically and betraying the families of terror victims. Congress leader Sachin Sawant called the match a dishonour to the 26 lives lost in the Pahalgam attack, while NCP’s Jitendra Awhad alleged the government was guilty of “dual standards.”
On the other hand, Maharashtra minister and cricket administrator Ashish Shelar defended the Indian team’s participation, clarifying that while bilateral tours with Pakistan remain suspended, India cannot refuse to play them in multilateral tournaments. He argued that international fixtures must be treated differently from bilateral engagements.
Despite the political heat, the high-voltage Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan is set to go ahead in Abu Dhabi, with passions running high both on and off the field.
