'Patriots must not watch': Uddhav on India-Pakistan Asia Cup final, contrasts cricket ties with Sonam Wangchuk arrest
Wangchuk being dubbed anti-national while cricket matches against Pak continue: Uddhav slams Centre
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday questioned the Centre over the arrest of activist Sonam Wangchuk, saying the someone who developed solar tent technology for the army is “being branded as anti-national”, while cricket matches are allowed to be played against Pakistan.
At a press conference in Mumbai, the former Maharashtra chief minister also appealed to "patriots" to not watch the Asia Cup cricket final match, in which India and Pakistan face off on Sunday evening, and said companies must not to advertise during the telecast.
Climate activist Wangchuk was arrested on Friday and slapped with the stringent National Security Act (NSA), two days after violent protests over statehood and constitutional protection left four persons dead and 90 injured in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
About his arrest, Uddhav Thackeray said, "It is unfortunate. Sonam Wangchuk developed solar tent technology for the Indian Army in difficult terrain. The one who is working for our forces has been dubbed anti-national and arrested under the NSA and you are playing cricket with Pakistan which spreads terror in India. What kind of patriotism is this?"
Wangchuk, a leading voice for the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), has been spearheading a five-year-long agitation demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for the residents of Leh and Kargil, which form the UT of Ladakh carved from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
Sonam Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo, has held security forces responsible for the statehood protests turning violent in Leh. She also hit back at allegations that he has “links” with Pakistan or embezzled money through his organisations, in an interview with PTI earlier in the day.
She said Sonam Wangchuk has been protesting for years in the "most Gandhian way possible" but the "situation escalated" on September 24 “due to the actions of the CRPF”, the Central Reserve Police Force, resulting in four deaths.
The police have said they acted in self-defence after mobs turned violent and even set fire to the local office of the ruling BJP.
Wangchuk, the most prominent figure in the Ladakh agitation, is now in the Jodhpur prison in Rajasthan.
Opposition parties have been questioning the Centre's definition of “patriotic” and “anti-national”, over allowing the Indian cricket team to play against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. On September 14, traditional rivals India and Pakistan faced off in the first match between the two sides since India launched 'Operation Sindoor' in May to hit terror bases in Pakistan-controlled territories following the killing of 26 persons in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. They subsequently had another match as part of the tournament format, and have now ended up in the final together. Team India won the last two matches and started as favourites for the final too.
(with PTI inputs)
