India lost the Cricket World Cup because it was held at the Narendra Modi Stadium, or because Prime Minister Modi was present – these are the claims coming from the opposition rank and file. The BJP emphasized that wins and losses are part of sports and athletes today enjoy much better facilities than they did earlier because of the Prime Minister. Performance in the Asian Games and Olympics is a testament, they say.
Updated on November 20, 2023 | 01:22 PM EST
Indian opposition parties thought it was appropriate to blame Prime Minister Modi for the Cricket World Cup loss
New Delhi: When Virat Kohli walked out of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday evening with a hat carefully placed over his face, 140 crore Indians shared in his grief. After winning nine out of 10 matches in the recently concluded Cricket World Cup, India ended their tournament campaign but missed out on the tournament. While sports united the country of 1.4 billion people, this time politics began to emerge in despair and division. The Australians completely defeated the Men in Blue movement on November 19, but for opposition leaders and members, there was only one person to blame – Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The alliance that bears the name India, and the party it leads and heads the Bharat Guddu Yatra, did not take long before it found political color in India’s loss. Sanjay Raut, the Maharashtra-based leader of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), believes India’s loss was due to the match being played at the Narendra Modi Stadium. “We lost at the Narendra Modi Stadium. People say if the match had been at the Wankhede Stadium (in Mumbai), we would have won,” Raut said on Monday morning while speaking to reporters.
Raut was not alone. Hours after India lost to Australia in the 2023 World Cup, Manikram Tagore, a Congress leader, thought it was right to point out that India had won the Cricket World Cup in two previous editions when Congress governments were in power. He pointed out that India won the 1983 Cricket World Cup when Indira Gandhi was in power, the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister.
Uttar Pradesh-based Congress leader Ajay Rai felt that there was political pressure on the players during the World Cup final due to the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the stadium and Home Minister Amit Shah. “The players were under pressure due to the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” he told Times Now, adding that the Prime Minister and Home Minister were on the field for a “photo op.”
Ajay Rai also raised the issue surrounding Kapil Dev not being invited to the World Cup final. Before the match, India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain, when asked why he was not attending the final, said he had not been invited. Explaining why this happens, Dave said that people tend to forget when there is a lot to do. But since the news broke, the Congress has targeted the BJP, accusing it of partisanship in sending invitations.
Jairam Ramesh, who heads Congress party communications, said: “It is simply unacceptable and extremely petty for Kapil Dev not to be invited by the cricket establishment to attend the World Cup final in Ahmedabad. Like Bedi, Kapil Dev is known to speak his mind, and he has come out openly.” To support the irritating female wrestlers a few months ago.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has vigorously defended itself against criticism. A party spokesperson told Times Now that the country’s athletes feel proud under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, and gave examples of the country’s performance in the Asian Games and Olympics. The spokesperson stressed that the game is a game, and wins and losses are part of sports.
After India’s loss to Australia, Prime Minister Modi made two posts on Congratulations to Travis Head for his great game today.”
He then told the Indian team: “Dear Team India, your talent and determination during the World Cup were noteworthy. You played with great spirit and brought great pride to the nation. We stand with you today and always.”