MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday criticised the BJP-led central government for permitting India to play cricket against Pakistan despite the recent Pahalgam terror attack and the ongoing Sindoor operation.Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Thackeray questioned why cricketing ties with Pakistan were allowed at such a time.“Why? Where is the Sindoor operation now? Has the hot-blooded Sindoor operation turned into a cold drink?” he asked.Thackeray also accused the state government of imposing Hindi on Maharashtra’s schoolchildren. “We are not against any language, but it should not be made mandatory and imposed on students. Let them learn voluntarily, other than their mother tongue” he said.“Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks very good Hindi, not because Hindi was imposed on him. Modi did not learn Hindi in class-I — he still gives good promises in Hindi,” he added.The Sena(UBT) chief also criticised the BJP over its inconsistencies in policies. “On one hand, BJP-led governments are throwing out illegal Bangladeshis, but why are they extending all hospitality to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina? This is nothing but a double standard and taking a stand that suits their politics,” Thackeray said.He added that while the BJP talks of jailing corrupt chief ministers and ministers, it has also inducted leaders facing graft allegations and rewarded them with posts as deputy chief ministers and ministers.Thackeray also criticised citizens for selective protests, in a veiled reference to the public backlash over Supreme Court’s stray dogs order. “It is a good thing that people are coming to the street for elephants, dogs and pigeons. This is a good sign of humanity. But we did not come out when our people were killed in a terrorist attack at Pahalgam,” he said.Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, questioning why the government had permitted an India-Pakistan cricket match while the Sindoor operation was underway. “In the Pakistan-orchestrated Pahalgam attack, 26 Indian women wearing Sindoor were wiped out. What message does the government want to give these women by allowing a Pakistan cricket match?,” Raut asked.Raut also claimed that former US President Donald Trump had threatened India with trade repercussions if it did not play cricket with Pakistan. He reminded Modi of his own statement that “blood and water cannot flow together”, asking why “blood and cricket are allowed flowing together.”
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