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'Playing band baaja baarat with country you accuse of terror: Jignesh Mevani on India-Pak match
Why accord so much special treatment to India-Pakistan match, why rub salt in the wounds of the martyrs, Jignesh Mevani asked.
Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevabi questioned the decision to organise a musical extravaganza before the much-awaited India-Pakistan match to be held on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Playing with Pakistan is a different thing but playing 'Band Baaja Baarat with a country you accuse of terror is something else', the Congress MLA wrote asking the need for the pre-match celebration in which Arijit Singh will perform. Arijit Singh's performance will start at 12.30pm before the match.
Slamming BCCI for insulting the families of martyrs, Mevani asked whether it is fair to accord such special treatment to only one match and if such an approach is not dangerous for the growth of cricket. "Interestingly, no musical performance was organised to mark the opening ceremony of the World Cup which was incidentally played at the same Narendra Modi stadium. But now in the middle of the tournament you find a special treatment for one match," Mevani tweeted.
"This is unjust, unfair and so much against the spirit of cricket. Moreover, BCCI should not operate under the whims and fancies of any individual because in the long run, only institutions stay and individuals vanish. The approach has to be robust and one that promotes the overall interest of cricket," Mevani added.
Apart from Arijit Singh, Shankar Mahadevan and Sukhwinder Singh will participate in the pre-match event.
Security has been tightened all across the state as archrivals India and Pakistan will face each other for the first time in the World Cup Cricket 2023. More than 6,000 personnel of the Gujarat police force along with those of the NSG, RAF and NDRF will be deployed in Ahmedabad city and at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the Motera area during the match, state DGP Vikas Sahay said. "Since the match would end at around 10.30 pm, all the units of Gujarat police across the state have been directed to be on alert mode after 8 pm tomorrow," Sahay said. Earlier this week, the Ahmedabad crime branch arrested a man for allegedly sending an email threatening an attack on the Narendra Modi Stadium in the city. The accused had allegedly sent an email claiming that there would be a blast on the stadium.
