New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for likening Indian cricketers to soldiers, the Congress on Monday described as “traitors” those who celebrated Indian victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup, saying all such people should have demanded a boycott of the match instead.

In a video message posted on social media, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate went to the extent of calling players as “money-grabbing cricketers” while criticising PM Modi for allegedly comparing a sports event with a military action like Operation Sindoor.

She said in a post on X, “PM Narendra Modi has crossed the limits… by comparing soldiers, who sacrifice their lives on the border, with money-grabbing cricketers.”

Shrinate expressed shock at the PM comparing a cricket match with Operation Sindoor. “I could not believe my eyes when I saw his social media message. Initially, I wondered if it was his verified account or a troll account from which the message was posted,” she said.

The Chairperson of Congress Social Media and Digital Platforms criticised the massive celebrations after India’s victory and called the revellers “traitors” as they had apparently forgotten about the 26 terror killings in Pahalgam on April 22 and had not insisted on India boycotting the match with Pakistan.

“The one who watched the cricket match. The one who celebrated the victory. The one who danced with joy. Doesn’t that person love this country? Didn’t they think of the daughters whose husbands were lost?” she asked.

“If they indeed were patriots, then they would have opposed playing cricket with a terrorist nation like Pakistan,” she said.

The Congress leader blamed PM Modi for allowing the match between India and Pakistan to go ahead, alleging that it was a means to fill the pockets of the Pakistan cricket board.

“This money is going to be used by Pakistan to build houses for terrorists who, in turn, will attack our country,” she said.

Recalling PM Modi’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty after the terror attack, Shrinate said at that time he announced, “Blood and water can’t flow at the same time,” but when it came to cricket, he allowed “Blood and cricket to flow at the same time”.

While the Opposition found fault with PM Modi ‘linking’ India’s triumph over Pakistan in the Asia Cup final with anti-terror Operation Sindoor, his commendation has won solid public endorsement and online support from the netizens.

PM Modi’s post on social media, praising Team India’s victory over Pakistan in the final clash, has been retweeted more than 107K times and has gathered more than 25 million impressions – an online marker signifying intense public engagement over the tweet.

Soon after the Men in Blue gave a crushing defeat to Pakistan in the Asia Cup final, PM Modi took to his X account and wrote, “Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same – India wins! Congrats to our cricketers.”

Operation Sindoor in May was the Indian Armed Forces’ fierce cross-border operation in response to the Pahalgam terror attacks, in which many terror launchpads as well as terror infrastructure inside Pakistan were ravaged in a precise and coordinated manner by the forces.

–IANS

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