Priyanka Chaturvedi (ANI)
NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for linking India’s Asia Cup victory over Pakistan with Operation Sindoor, cautioning that tournament proceeds could be diverted to fund terror activities across the border.Speaking to ANI, Chaturvedi said the Asia Cup games between India and Pakistan “should not have happened” in the first place, questioning why India chose to play Pakistan despite its stated “zero tolerance for terror” policy.“In the first place, this match should not have happened. The cricket match that BCCI played for the benefit of PCB… the match that took place for the revenue of the broadcasters. The 140 crore people of the country did not want this match to happen,” she said.She added, “the 26 families of those killed in the terrorist attack were saying that it was like rubbing salt into their wounds, then you would say oh we didn’t do handshake, Mohsin Naqvi went away from here, from there it doesn’t really matter, … “She hit out at the PM for alluding the cricket victory with a very successful and apt military response to a dastardly attack, questioning the comparison stating, “This is the same Mohsin Naqvi who said so much about the country, these are the same cricketers who abused our country, widows of the victims of terror attack, is that comparison even valid…it was just a profiteering match.And we’re comparing Operation Sindoor, – in which we lost some of our jawans – with what? a cricket match? Whom it is going to benefit? Where is the money going -Pakistan cricket board? Broadcasters?”The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader alleged that money earned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) could ultimately flow to terror outfits. “I can say with guarantee, because everybody has seen Pakistan, have tested them with this money that we have given them with this game, is the same money which will again go to Muridke, will again be used to resurrect the terror infrastructure,” she told ANI.Chaturvedi also questioned the government’s consistency in dealing with Pakistan. Referring to “Operation Sindoor” launched after terror attacks, she noted that India had revoked long-term visas, suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, reduced diplomatic presence and treated terror as an act of war. “Then what was the compulsion to play a match?” she asked.She further added, “Our fight is not on the cricket pitch; our fight is on the terror pitch. These terrorists kill our soldiers. We should neither talk to them, nor play any game with them, nor celebrate any festival. The celebration will happen on the day when every terrorist is driven out from there.”Chaturvedi’s comments came as India celebrated its Asia Cup win over Pakistan. While she acknowledged the sporting achievement, she urged citizens and authorities not to let the excitement overshadow serious security concerns.
