Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj has sharply criticised India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav for his tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack following India’s victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup, challenging him to donate all his match earnings to the families of the victims.
"He said he dedicated this win to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack so easily. You are very understanding. Agar tumhari aukaat hai, aur tumhari BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) ki aukaat hai, aur tumhari ICC (International Cricket Council) ki aukaat hai, toh tumhe dusri chunauti bhi dete hai. Jitna paisa tumne in broadcasting rights se kamaya hai, advertisers se kamaya hai, aur iss pure dhande mein aapne kamaya hai, de do un 26 vidhwahon ko. Hum bhi maan jayenge tumne dedicate kiya hai (If you, the BCCI and the ICC have the courage, whatever you have earned during the match through the broadcasters and advertisers, donate it to the widows of the Pahalgam terror victims)," the former AAP MLA told reporters in Hindi on Monday.
"Himmat nahi hai inki, aukaat nahi hai inki ki kuch bhi kar sake. Haan, farzi mein yeh bol do ki hum isko dedicate kar rahe hai aur hum usko dedicate kar rahe hai (They do not have the courage to do such a thing. Just keep saying that we dedicate this and that...). This is very embarrassing," he added.
On Sunday, India secured a seven-wicket victory in a match that faced widespread boycott calls on social media, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) receiving significant criticism for agreeing to play in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.
After the match, Yadav dedicated the victory to "our armed forces who took part in 'Operation Sindoor'" and stated that the team "stands with families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack". Additionally, Indian players declined to shake hands with the Pakistani team, both at the toss and at the match’s conclusion. The two captains—India’s Yadav and Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha—also did not shake hands during the toss.
There was no immediate response from Yadav, the BCCI, or the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding Bharadwaj’s remarks.
Several opposition leaders had previously criticised the Central government for allowing India to play against Pakistan, arguing that it exposed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s “farce” of patriotism and asserting that India should have demonstrated resolve by withdrawing from the match. “When we (India) said Pakistan was a perpetrator of terror, the world is going to ask you questions. Are you Pakistan’s enemy or friend? If you are their enemy, then snap all ties,” Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said.
Also Read: AAP slams PM on India-Pak match, women workers stage protest
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann condemned the Centre for approving the match while denying permission for a Sikh ‘jatha’ to travel to the neighbouring country.
Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, however, stated that it is “not fair” to oppose the match.
On April 22, 26 tourists, including one Nepali citizen, were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror organisation, claimed responsibility for the attack.
In response, under Operation Sindoor, conducted by India’s three defence forces along the border from May 7–10, India targeted terrorist and military facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the attack.
Also Read: "We stand by victims": Surya dedicates win to armed forces
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