Political slugfest over Asia Cup final: BJP says Congress in ‘comatose state’ after India win; Opp party hits back — learn not to announce ceasefire near victory

BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said it “seems India’s stunning win against Pakistan has left Rahul Gandhi and the entire Congress in a comatose state”.

“Just like after Operation Sindoor, when they couldn’t bring themselves to congratulate the Indian Army for its stupendous strikes, they now appear to be waiting for permission from Mohsin Naqvi (Pakistan’s Interior Minister and ACC chairman) and their other handlers in Pakistan before joining the nation in celebrating the Indian cricket team’s success,” said Malviya.

“Put that aside — not even a single social media post from Congress congratulating our national team for thrashing Pakistan thrice in the tournament,” he said, adding that “once again, Pakistan, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress find themselves on the same side of the divide”.

India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final on Sunday, winning the ninth Asia Cup title.

In his post on X on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote, “Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same — India wins!”

Reacting to the PM’s post, Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera, who heads the party’s media and publicity department, said: “Prime Minister ji, first of all, it is not right to compare a cricket match to a battlefield.”

“Second, if you have made the comparison anyway, then you need to learn from the Indian team that when you are close to victory, good captains do not declare a ceasefire on the orders of any third umpire,” Khera said.

Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sakpal said: “It is not the first time India has won the Asia Cup. We are proud of our team’s win, but the Prime Minister has a policy of polarising everything, whether it is air, water, or even sport.”

Speaking at an event in Nagpur, Sakpal alleged that the Prime Minister “does not maintain the dignity of the nation”, which “one can make out from his statements on such celebratory occasions”.

Maharashtra Congress leader and national spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil questioned how the match could be held “when Operation Sindoor was still ongoing”. “It is good the game happened in the spirit of the game. We want to question if Operation Sindoor is ongoing or not. If it is over and dialogue has started, then it’s fine. But if it is not over, then when will PM Modi give answers to those who lost their husbands (in Pahalgam)? If Operation is on and we are in a state of war, then how is the game happening,” he asked.

Citing Union Home Amit Shah’s statement on the India-Pakistan match — that it is an international game and the ICC organises it — Patil said: “Why doesn’t the ICC remove Pakistan? You give the whole world lecture on nationalism. Do it at home first.”

AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “They (Indian team) did not take the cup from Mohsin Naqvi’s hands. I posted a video when this series started, showing the captain of the Indian team getting a picture taken with Mohsin Naqvi, holding the cup, and also shaking hands… I also uploaded a video in which, during the captains’ press conference for the Asia Cup, he was not shaking hands with the Pakistan captain on stage. But, as soon as he got off the stage, he shook his hand… The public can decide what happened before the script and what happened after…”

“PM Modi is congratulating the team for playing a match with the Pakistan team… There would also be cricket and football matches between Israel and Gaza…,” he asked

The AAP leader had courted controversy during the Asia Cup when he challenged India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav to donate his match fees from the tournament to Pahalgam victims – something Yadav announced after India’s win on Sunday.

On Yadav donating his match fees to the Indian armed forces and Pahalgam terror attack victims, Bhardwaj said: “The money that has been made in the Asia Cup is around Rs 690 crore, and if that money is given to the widows of Pahalgam, then it is Rs 25-30 crores each. The match fees will not help them (families of victims)… The main thing is about the broadcasting rights of the ICC and BCCI advertising rights.”