Cricket not answer to terrorism: AAP, Cong criticise PM Modi's Op Sindoor post on Asia Cup win

New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s social media post celebrating India’s Asia Cup 2025 victory over Pakistan, in which he compared the win to Operation Sindoor, India’s military operation against terrorism, has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, particularly the AAP and Congress, who questioned the ethics of playing a cricket match with Pakistan amid tensions.

Reacting strongly to the PM’s celebratory X post, AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said the match should never have been played in the first place, citing the recent terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 innocent lives.

“I believe there was absolutely no need to play this match. We should have respected the emotions of the families of the 26 victims. What answers have we received from this match? How did four terrorists cross 250 km of our borders with sophisticated weapons?” she asked.

“Did we get any clarity on how, during Operation Sindoor, the IMF gave Pakistan a $2.4 billion loan, which will certainly be used to promote terrorism? Does this match explain why Pakistan was made vice-chair of the UN's counter-terrorism committee? These are serious issues of diplomacy and national security and should be dealt with seriously. Our Prime Minister should not be making such light-hearted tweets,” Kakkar added.

Prime Minister Modi, in his post on X, had praised Team India with the words: “#OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same – India wins! Congrats to our cricketers.”

Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammed also condemned the match, calling it a shameful decision at a time when the country is facing national mourning and military action.

“I didn’t watch the Asia Cup because it was wrong to play this match. Prime Minister Modi says Operation Sindoor is ongoing, so how can we play cricket with Pakistan? This match was played for money, for Jay Shah and Anurag Thakur’s brother to profit. This money is built on the blood of our soldiers. We don’t want this money, maybe the Prime Minister does,” she alleged.

“When 26 of our people were killed, the government still chose to play cricket with Pakistan. That’s unacceptable. I strongly condemn this,” she said.

Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, Tikaram Jully, offered congratulations to the Indian team but shared similar concerns about the morality of the match.

“I want to congratulate Team India for the win, but we shouldn’t be playing cricket with a country that has played Holi with our blood. There are many teams in the world to play with, not Pakistan,” he said.

India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in a thrilling final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday to win their ninth Asia Cup title. The match was marked by a sensational bowling comeback led by Kuldeep Yadav, who took four wickets, and an unbeaten 69-run knock by Tilak Varma, who anchored India’s chase of 147 runs.

--IANS

rs/dpb