The Congress party has strongly criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent social media post where he compared India’s Asia Cup victory over Pakistan to ‘Operation Sindoor’. The party stated that it is inappropriate to draw parallels between a cricket match and a battlefield.
Following India’s five-wicket win against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final held in Dubai, Prime Minister Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the team. He captioned his post, “Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same — India wins! Congrats to our cricketers.”
Reaction from Congress Leaders
Congress leader Pawan Khera reshared the Prime Minister’s post and commented, “Prime Minister ji, first of all, it is not right to compare a cricket match to a battlefield.” He further added, “Second, if you have made the comparison anyway, then you need to learn from the Indian team that when you are close to victory, good captains do not ceasefire on the orders of any third umpire.”
Tense Atmosphere Surrounding the Match
The matches between India and Pakistan during the Asia Cup were played against the backdrop of significant border tensions, particularly following the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people.
This tension was also reflected in the players’ conduct. Indian players reportedly declined to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the tournament. Even after their final victory, the Suryakumar Yadav-led team did not accept the Asia Cup trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
Mohsin Naqvi had previously lodged a complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the Indian team’s behaviour, specifically mentioning the handshake snub.
Other Political Reactions
Earlier, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had congratulated Team India and praised coach Gautam Gambhir in a social media post.
Meanwhile, cricketer Suryakumar Yadav expressed his positive feelings about Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ post, stating that it felt good to see the nation’s leader actively engaged and supportive. He conveyed that the Prime Minister’s involvement felt like he was part of the game, scoring runs and providing a sense of confidence to the players.
Related Links
- ‘Op Sindoor on field’ to ‘unity foundation’: How leaders from PM to Oppn reacted to India’s cricket win vs Pakistan
- What Suryakumar Yadav said on PM Modi’s ‘Op Sindoor’ post for Asia cup win
- Suryakumar Yadav sets the record straight; India’s call to snub Mohsin Naqvi was taken ‘on the ground’, BCCI role denied