Leader of Thackeray’s party speaks up against Indo-Pak World Cup clash

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader, Sandeep Deshpande, has raised his objection against the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match at the 2023 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 15.

MNS is a regionalist far-right Indian political party founded by Raj Thackeray, the son of the late Hindu leader Bal Thackeray. The party operates on the ideology of "Hindutva" and has consistently taken a strong stance against Pakistan.

“Those who killed our soldiers, should we play with such a nation?” questioned Deshpande.

“When such matches take place, their people (Pakistani citizens) also come with their flags. Should we tolerate this? The discussion should be held throughout the nation,” he added.

This objection to cricket matches is not an isolated incident for the MNS. In December of the previous year, the party warned cinema hall owners in Maharashtra against screening a Pakistani film, "The Legend of Maula Jatt."

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has successfully persuaded the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to address their concerns regarding the World Cup semi-final match. Pakistan had expressed their reluctance to play a World Cup match in Mumbai due to security reasons, and this decision was conveyed to ICC officials during their recent visit to Lahore.

On Tuesday, the ICC released the schedule for the 2023 World Cup, assigning Mumbai and Kolkata as the venues for the semi-final matches. However, if the Indian cricket team qualifies for the semi-finals, their match will be held in Mumbai, whereas if Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata. In the event of an India-Pakistan semi-final, the match will be held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata instead of Mumbai.

The concerns raised by Deshpande and the MNS have historical roots. In the past, incidents involving Shiv Sena, another political party, led by Raj Thackeray’s late father, Bal Thackeray, have led to disruptions and cancellations of cricket matches between India and Pakistan. In 1991, Shiv Sena activists vandalized the pitch at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium before Pakistan's scheduled one-day series in India. In 1999, a group of Shiv Sena supporters stormed New Delhi's Feroze Shah Kotla stadium and dug up the pitch during Pakistan's first Test series on Indian soil in 12 years.