The Shiv Sena (UBT) organized protests across Maharashtra on Sunday to voice their opposition to the India-Pakistan Asia Cup cricket match in Dubai. The protests, which included members raising slogans and destroying a television set, were organized in response to a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam and a military conflict between the two nations in May.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray led the criticism, stating that the match was "an insult to national sentiments." He appealed to the public not to watch the game and launched a campaign titled 'Majha Kunku Majha Desh' (My Sindoor, My Country). As part of this campaign, women workers from the party collected sindoor to send to the Prime Minister's Office. "We will tell the prime minister that those who were responsible for the death of the husbands of our sisters should be caught," said former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar.
Aaditya Thackeray, a Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA, also took to social media to criticize the decision to play the match. He called for a boycott, stating that the BCCI "can still show India that it belongs to India, and not to greed of money. The BCCI can still prove that it isn’t anti- national." He urged the players on the field to remember the families who lost loved ones in the terror attack.
The party’s secretary and Mumbai Cricket Association member, Milind Narvekar, claimed that the decision to hold the match was taken "by keeping Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the dark." The protest also drew comments from AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who questioned the government on how the financial profits from the match could justify the loss of human lives.
Former Sports Minister Anurag Thakur provided context to the situation, explaining that playing in multinational events is a "compulsion" for teams. "When multinational tournaments are organised by ACC or ICC, it becomes a compulsion, a necessity for nations to participate. If they don't do that, they will be eliminated from the tournament," Thakur said, clarifying that this policy does not extend to bilateral series.