The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday questioned the “silence” of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal (BD) over India’s participation in Asia Cup tournament in which it would take on the Pakistan cricket team in Dubai. Talking to media persons here, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut. Said: “After the Pahalgam terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that ‘water and blood cannot flow together’ however, if water and blood cannot flow together, then how can blood and cricket go hand in hand”.
“How can the Government allow a cricket match between India and Pakistan? The ruling BJP can have any reason. My question is for the RSS, VHP and BD. Do you have any role in this or not?,” Raut asked.
Dubbing the Government’s decision to go ahead with India-Pakistan cricket engagement as “treason and shamelessness”, Raut said that the Shiv Sena (UBT) would stage protests across Maharashtra under the campaign Sindoor Raksha Abhiyan.
“We will protest against this India-Pakistan cricket match. Thousands of women from Maharashtra will send sindoor from every household to the Prime Minister,” Raut said.
Earlier, in a post on X, Raut said that the outcry of the 26 mothers and sisters whose sindoor was wiped away in the Pahalgam attack has not yet ceased.
“Operation Sindoor, launched to break the backbone of terrorist Pakistan, has not ended. Yet, an India-Pakistan cricket match is being played in Abu Dhabi on September 14. The children of BJP ministers will surely go to watch this match. This is outright treason,” Raut added.