'If PM can have biryani...': Tejashwi on India-Pakistan cricket row
Amid the raging controversy over India's decision to not send its cricket team to Pakistan for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former cricketer Tejashwi Yadav has called for separating politics from sports. He asked why the Indian team can't visit Pakistan if Prime Minister Narendra Modi could, referring to PM Modi's 2015 Lahore visit. "There should be no politics in sports...Why shouldn't India go to Pakistan?" he said.
Yadav criticizes double standards in India-Pakistan relations
Yadav slammed the double standard of PM Modi's visit being fine but a cricket tour isn't. "If PM Modi can go to Pakistan to eat biryani, that's considered a good thing, but if the Indian team goes to Pakistan to play, it's seen as wrong. This isn't the right way to think," he said. The RJD leader was referring to PM Modi's surprise 2015 visit.
India's refusal to participate in ICC Champions Trophy
India's decision to not play in the tournament has put its future in jeopardy. In a bid to salvage the situation, India had proposed a hybrid model for its matches, with Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates as neutral venues. This plan, however, is opposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The ICC has called an important board meeting on Friday to break this deadlock.
Trinamool MP Kirti Azad's stance on India-Pakistan cricket row
Going against Yadav's views, Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad has taken a hardline on the issue. He said "terror and dialogue cannot go together," adding, "We will not play cricket with Pakistan... They will keep sending terrorists." The Indian cricket team last toured Pakistan in 2008 for Asia Cup, and their last bilateral series was in 2012-13 in India. Since then, political tensions have restricted their meetings to ICC tournaments only.
