Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray fired a scathing attack at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), blaming the board's "vain greed for money" to overshadow the sacrifices of India's Armed Forces as the team is about to take on Pakistan in next month's Asia Cup.
The dispute was triggered by the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 tourists were killed by Pakistan-backed militants. India retaliated with Operation Sindoor on May 7 against terrorist assets along the Line of Control and deeper within Pakistan, further deteriorating relations between the nations.
Addressing the nation on the 79th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned that any misadventure by the “enemy” would be met with a befitting response from the Indian Armed Forces.
Referencing PM Modi’s remark that “blood and water won’t flow together,” Thackeray criticized the BCCI for agreeing to play Pakistan under tournament rules, calling it a “joke.”
It will be a shame if the @BCCI believes it's above what the PM has stated from Red Fort today. After all the efforts of the Union Government and our nation to make the world understand that Pak is responsible for the attacks on Pahalgam, the greed for dollars of the BCCI is above the sacrifice of the Armed Forces, the Nation and even the PM stating blood and water cannot go together.". With all the strength that BCCI possesses in the ICC, it's a joke to claim that we are under the Asia Cup Rules," Thackeray said on X.
India and Pakistan are both in Group A along with the UAE and Oman. India is technically the host nation, but the tournament contract between the BCCI and PCB guarantees an impartial location for the other team in the next three years when competitions are staged in one of the two nations.
India will start their campaign against the UAE on September 10, followed by the much-contested match against Pakistan on September 14. Depending on the outcome, the two nations may face each other a maximum of three times in the tournament—once during the group stage, the Super 4, and possibly the final.
This is not the first occasion when cricketing relations have been strained. India Champions had already declined to play Pakistan Champions twice in the World Championship of Legends (WCL). When the first game was postponed, India withdrew from playing against Pakistan in the semi-final, with the latter going on to appear in the final, which they lost to South Africa.
In the same vein, India refused to go to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, opting to play all matches at a neutral ground in Dubai and went on to win the trophy with a convincing win over New Zealand in the final.
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