Cricket matches between India and Pakistan are not merely sporting events and are seen as a nation engaging with another, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said, stressing how politics has crept into sports involving the two cricketing rivals.
Cricket is influencing politics, and that’s why people with political connections are running the cricket administration, the four-time parliamentarian further said at Mumbai LitFest.
Because we don’t play each other anymore, he said, adding that whenever India plays cricket with Pakistan, politics comes up and matches are seen as a country engaging with another, but it doesn’t happen anymore.
Reiterating his point, the MP said, “I had written about the policy of no handshakes and why it makes no sense and got into trouble for it. The BJP had then sided with the policy of no-handshake and accused the Congress of having “love for Pakistan” in its DNA.
Tharoor had previously opposed Indian and Pakistani players not shaking hands during cricket matches in the backdrop of political tensions between the two countries. He pointed out that leaders earlier used cricket to warm up ties between countries.
