"How can blood, cricket flow together?": Uddhav Thackeray calls India vs Pak Asia Cup clash "business of patriotism"

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 13 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday questioned India's participation in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 match against Pakistan, alleging that the government was mixing politics and business with patriotism.
Addressing reporters, Thackeray said, "... Our Prime Minister said blood and water cannot flow together, then how can blood and cricket flow together. How can war and cricket be at the same time?... They have done business in patriotism. The business of patriotism is only for money. They are going to play the match tomorrow also because they want all the money they will get from that match..."
He further announced that Shiv Sena (UBT) women workers would stage a symbolic protest. "Tomorrow, Shiv Sena (UBT) women workers will come out on the streets in Maharashtra and they are going to send sindoor from every house to PM Modi," he said.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Anurag Thakur has said that while participation in multinational tournaments organised by the ACC or ICC is a "compulsion" for nations, India does not play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan and will continue to avoid them until terrorist attacks on the country stop, ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 match between the two sides.
Addressing reporters, Thakur said, "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, they will have to forfeit the match and the other team will get the points... But India doesn't play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan. We have made this decision for years that India won't play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan until Pakistan stops terrorist attacks on India."
Aishanya Dwivedi, wife of Pahalgam terror attack victim Shubham Dwivedi, also called for a boycott of the upcoming cricket match between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 scheduled for Sunday.
She told ANI, "I cannot understand this. I urge people to boycott this. Do not go to watch this and do not switch on your TV for this."
Slamming the Board of Control for Cricket in India, she said that the board is not sentimental towards the families of the 26 people who were killed in the terror attack. "BCCI should not have accepted a match between India and Pakistan... I think BCCI is not sentimental towards those 26 families and those who made the supreme sacrifice during Operation Sindoor," Dwivedi said.
The Indian national cricket team is taking on Pakistan for the first time in an international cricket match after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
Ahead of the clash, there had been a widespread demand from the opposition to boycott the match. However, the Centre had issued no objection from the Indian team to playing against Pakistan in any multi-nation tournament. (ANI)