Shiv Sena(UBT) Ups The Ante Against BCCI, BJP As Countdown Begins For India-Pakistan Asia Cup Fixture
Sena leader Aditya Thackeray asked the BCCI to boycott the match and "show that it belongs to India, and not to greed of money”.
Published : September 14, 2025 at 3:23 PM IST
Mumbai: Amid growing demands to boycott India's Asia Cup cricket match against Pakistan in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena has launched state-wide protests against the fixture in Maharashtra on Sunday.
Party leader Aditya Thackeray has accused the BJP of having changed its ideology and definition of patriotism while other party leaders warned hotel owners against streaming the match.
BCCI Draws Flak Over Asia Cup Fixture Against Pakistan
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is drawing widespread ridicule for going ahead with the match against Pakistan scheduled at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates in the evening in the backdrop of the April 22 terror attack in which Pakistan backed terrorists shot dead 25 tourists and a local horse rider at Baisaran meadows in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
Show You Aren't Anti-national By Boycotting Match, Aditya Thackeray To BCCI
As the countdown for the match begins, Shiv Sena(UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray said that the BCCI could still boycott the match and “still show India that it belongs to India, and not to greed of money”.
“The match can be boycotted even today, even now. The
@BCCI can still show India that it belongs to India, and not to greed of money. The BCCI can still prove that it isn’t anti- national. Do 2 points really matter to the best team in the world?...,” Thackeray wrote in an elaborate post on X.
Reaching out to Team India players, the Shiv Sena leader said, “Those playing today on the field, must realise that they are playing against a country from where terrorists came into ours, massacring innocent lives”.
“Think of the families who lost their loved ones in Pahalgam. Nothing can come beyond boycotting a country that harbours terrorists. What a shame to be knowing all of this and still going ahead with the game. Today, we miss a Union Government that would have strongly come down on such anti- national acts. Sadly, we see BJP having changed its ideology and definition of patriotism”.
In another post, Thackeray also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the latter's statement after the Pahalgam attack that “blood and water cannot flow together”.
It's not even 6 months to the cowardly attack in Pahalgam.
— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) September 13, 2025
Nobody knows how the terrorists came in.
Then Operation Sindoor happened.
Then the Prime Minister said that blood and water cannot flow together.
The Defence Minister said, after a sudden Ceasefire, that Op Sindoor is…
“The Defence Minister said, after a sudden Ceasefire, that Op Sindoor is Paused... not ended. Pakistan boycotted the Asia Cup Hockey, in India. This too was a multilateral tournament. But the BCCI is desperate to play Pakistan,” he wrote.
“Is the BCCI so strong that it can defy the PM and defence minister? Does the @BCCI not have any shame? Any feelings for those who were killed in that massacre? Or for our Armed Forces? It's sad that the BJP has changed its ideology, but also true that the same bjp will use the valour of our armed forces in Bihar Elections. They will mention Operation Sindoor politically, but not call off the match!”
Shiv Sena(UBT) Launches State-wide Protests
The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena has launched state-wide protests under the slogan 'Majam Kunku Maja Desh' against the India-Pakistan match.
“Against those who toy with the sentiments of the countrymen, In protest against those who seek to stage an India-Pakistan match for business interests... Statewide Movement My Vermilion, My Country On Sunday, dated 14 September 2025,” the party wrote in a post on its official X handle.
Leaders Warn Hotel Owners Against Streaming Match
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders have warned hotel owners against streaming the India-Pakistan match with one warning that he will smash the screens with a bat.
The Sena leader from Solapur, Sharad Koli has issued a video statement warning the hotel owners against the livestreaming of the match against Pakistan, which he said had “committed sins against the sisters of Maharashtra and the country”.
Requesting hotel owners in Maharashtra not to screen the match, Koli warned, “If any hotel owner or operator shows the India-Pakistan match, we will smash that hotel with this bat. The hotel owner and director will themselves be responsible for this.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Pawar too appealed to hotel owners in Kolhapur city not to livestream the India-Pakistan match on big screens and TVs in hotels as a mark of protest.
Security Beefed Up Around Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up around Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, which has been the centre of celebrations by Indian fans after victory over Pakistan in the cricket matches.
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