Tiranga Yatra a public stunt: HPCC

“When the secretary-level talks with Pakistan were suspended by the government, why the match that just had an entertainment value should have been allowed to be held at Dharamsala,” -- Sukhwinder Sukhu, HPCC chief

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 12

Terming the Tiranga Yatra by BJP MP Anurag Thakur a public stunt, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu today accused him of pursuing pseudo nationalism.

In a statement issued here, Sukhu said on the one side, family members of the martyrs were mourning while on the other, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) was ready to host the Pakistan team.

Anurag used to make tall speeches on patriotism and used to oppose India-Pak cricket matches while the BJP was in the opposition. But now, he was not only advocating the cricket match with Pakistan at Dharamsala, but also ignoring the demand of martyrs’ kin,” he said. The basis of the match in Dharamsala was commercial, he added.

“When the secretary-level talks with Pakistan were suspended by the government, why the match that just had an entertainment value should have been allowed to be held at Dharamsala,” he argued.

Anurag had tried to carry out a Tiranga Yatra to Jammu and Kashmir in 2010-11. “Was that just a political gimmick? If he was serious, then he should have lobbied against hosting the Pakistan cricket team at the Dharamsala stadium,” he added.