Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's remark on the Indian cricket team's decision to not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the Asia Cup clash have sparked a controversy. On Thursday, the Congress leader criticised the move, stressing that the spirit of the game must remain apart from politics and military disputes.
He recalled the 1999 Kargil War, pointing out that India and Pakistan still played a match then, even as soldiers were “dying for our country”.
"On the very day the soldiers were dying for our country, we were playing the World Cup in England against Pakistan. We were shaking their hands even then because the spirit of the game is a different spirit from what goes on between countries, between Armies and so on. That is my view," Tharoor was quoted as saying by news agency ANI, referencing the Kargil War.
His remarks drew sharp retort from the BJP which accused the Congress of having "love for Pakistan" in its DNA. Reacting to Tharoor's remarks, BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo stood by the Indian cricket team's handshake snub to Pak, and questioned why the team should be expected to shake hands with Pakistani players.
Shashi Tharoor's take on team India's refusal to shake hands with Pakistani players came days after the high-stakes match that took place in Dubai amid backlash. Several critics in India were not in favour of the team playing Pakistan, citing the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, and the military conflict that took place between India and Pakistan a fortnight later.
{{/usCountry}}Shashi Tharoor's take on team India's refusal to shake hands with Pakistani players came days after the high-stakes match that took place in Dubai amid backlash. Several critics in India were not in favour of the team playing Pakistan, citing the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, and the military conflict that took place between India and Pakistan a fortnight later.
{{/usCountry}}Shashi Tharoor argued that if there were such strong feelings about Pakistan, the match should not have been played, but also added that since the match was agreed upon, it should have been approached in the spirit of the game.
“... But if we are going to play them, we should play in the spirit of a game, and we should have shaken their hands... We have done this before in 1999, when the Kargil War was going on,” Tharoor said.
Reacting to Tharoor's remarks, the BJP spokesperson argued that India had to play Pakistan in the Asia Cup due to ICC norms. “We had to play due to ICC norms. BCCI is bound by ICC norms...But we defeated Pakistan twice in Dubai. This has made India proud. Congress can rise above its affection for Pakistan…,” Deo said.
The BJP spoksperson also said: "This is the same Congress that allowed partition just to bring Nehru ji to power...Even in the last election, a tall leader in Pakistan had called for the victory of Rahul Gandhi."
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube walked off the field without shaking hands with Pakistani players in an Asia Cup match. India won the match the win and Yadav dedicated the win to the Indian Armed Forces, expressing solidarity with Pahalgam terror attack victims.