Nana Patole: No India-Pakistan handshake scripted for BJP mileage

Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Nana Patole on Monday, 15 September, alleged that the Indian cricket team’s refusal to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts after the Asia Cup clash was a “scripted” act designed to yield political mileage.

During Sunday’s Group A match, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan captain Salman Agha skipped the customary handshake at the toss and again after the game. While the gesture is a long-standing convention in international cricket, it is not mandated by any rule.

Speaking to PTI, Patole accused the BJP of diverting public attention from pressing issues like inflation, unemployment, and farmers’ distress by stirring up India-Pakistan narratives.

“The BJP wants to cook political bread on India-Pakistan issues. The sindoor of our sisters was wiped off in the Pahalgam attack, yet the Union government allows India to play Pakistan. The players were instructed not to shake hands,” he alleged.

Patole also backed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s claim that betting worth around Rs 1.5 lakh crore took place during the high-profile match.

On another issue, Patole criticised the appointment of Acharya Devvrat as Maharashtra’s new governor, calling it an example of the Modi government “politicising gubernatorial posts.” President Droupadi Murmu had recently entrusted Devvrat, the current Gujarat governor, with additional charge of Maharashtra after C.P. Radhakrishnan stepped down upon his election as India’s vice-president.

Turning to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 13 September visit to Manipur—his first since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023 — Patole alleged that mainstream media failed to show the ground reality of public anger, which, he said, was widely visible on social media.

With PTI inputs