On 15th October (Sunday), a day after India registered an emphatic victory over arch-rival Pakistan, Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin shared a video of cricket fans in the stadium in Ahmedabad chanting Jai Shri Ram as Muhammad Rizwan was making his way to the pavilion. On the basis of the short video, Tamil Nadu Minister Stalin claimed that it is being used as a tool to spread “hatred”. According to him, it was wrong for the fans to chant glory to Shri Ram when Pakistani players were playing at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. He went further and called it “unacceptable” and a “new low” in sports.
Taking to X, Udhayanidhi Stalin wrote, “India is renowned for its sportsmanship and hospitality. However, the treatment meted out to Pakistan players at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is unacceptable and a new low. Sports should be a unifying force between countries, fostering true brotherhood. Using it as a tool to spread hatred is condemnable.”
India is renowned for its sportsmanship and hospitality. However, the treatment meted out to Pakistan players at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is unacceptable and a new low. Sports should be a unifying force between countries, fostering true brotherhood. Using it as a tool… pic.twitter.com/MJnPJsERyK
— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) October 14, 2023
In his post, he further argued that sports should be used to unite countries and foster brotherhood. Notably, many ‘intellectuals’, and pro-Pakistan ‘activists’ along with several Congress governments in the past had used Cricket as a diplomacy and let go Pakistan off its crime against Indian soldiers at the border and state policy of using terrorism against India, a timid policy dubbed as ‘Amman ki Asha’. However, under PM Modi, India has maintained that terror and talks, Pakistan-sponsoring terrorism and playing with India in bilateral can not continue.
It is important to note that slogans like Bharat Mata ki Jai, Vande Mataram, Jai Shri Ram (Glory to Shri Ram), and other Bollywood-esque devotional renditions were played on many occasions by fans and the DJ during yesterday’s match. These have been played in several other games in the past where the Men in Blue take on any opposition on the cricketing pitch.
However, over the years, efforts have been made to vilify the invocation of chants like ‘Jai Shri Ram’, and Vande Mataram as an intolerant war cry by pseudo-leftists and Islamists alike.
Meanwhile, the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin rose to notoriety after making deranging remarks against Sanatan Dharma where he compared the faith of more than 100 crore believers with incurable diseases. Giving a call for “eradication of Sanatan Dharma”, he had said, “Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They’ve to be eradicated completely. The same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it. So, my appreciation to you all for giving an apt title to the meeting.”
Since then, several leaders from the I.N.D.I.A. bloc have given vile remarks against Sanatan Dharma. Consequently, several FIRs have been filed against them in connection with their remarks and a bunch of pleas have been filed before the Supreme Court seeking action against these “hate speeches” against Sanatan Dharma.
