New Delhi: The Congress and other opposition parties on Monday targeted BCCI Secretary Jay Shah by posting a viral video from India vs Pakistan Asia Cup match celebrations wherein Shah can be seen refusing to hold the Indian tricolour flag when offered to hold one.
The grand old party's Twitter account posted the video captured after Team India defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in the Asia Cup 2022 match.
"Their habit of distancing themselves from the tricolor is many generations old - how can it go?" wrote the Congress criticising Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah's son.
"I have papa, Keep the tricolor with you!" the party's communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh tweeted in sharp response.
Besides the Congress, leaders from other opposition parties such as Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress, and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) also attacked the BCCI secretary for his gesture.
"The tricolor in every hand is a symbol of our resolve and loyalty to the country. To shake (refuse) the tricolor in this way is an insult to the country's 133 crore population," Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote in a tweet in Hindi.
Y Sathish Reddy and Krishan K from TRS also objected to the video in strong-worded responses, naming the RSS and the BJP.
Those defending Jay Shah have mentioned that he was present at the match venue being Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President and his refusal to hold the Indian flag should be seen as a move to remain neutral.
In another tweet, Priyanka Chaturvedi argued that "Staying neutral as ACC President doesn’t at any point mean being disrespectful to any nation’s flag, especially your own."
TMC's Saket Gokhale also refused to accept the ACC President argument in response to the row.
Meanwhile, Jay Shah or the ACC is yet to present a statement as the video continues to garner polarising responses.
On Sunday, India defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in their Asia Cup 2022 match at the very same venue where Pakistan had defeated them by 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2021. With this, India finally avenged its T20 World Cup defeat.
In the match, seven-time Asia Cup winners India, after winning the toss, bowled out Pakistan for 147 runs in 19.5 overs and then chased down the target in 19.4 overs after losing five wickets.
Team India's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya starred both with the bat and bowl to help India clinch a nail-biting thriller against Pakistan at the Dubai International cricket stadium. The all-rounder played a match-winning inning of 33 not out off 17 balls with the help of four fours and a six after taking three wickets for 25 runs.
All About It: Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup: Hardik Pandya's Heroics Help India Beat Pakistan In Thriller