Mumbai, Jan 4
Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday criticised India's foreign policy in the wake of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) directing the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to drop Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman, following widespread outrage across the country.
Chavan said India should strive to maintain cordial relations with Bangladesh and warned against pursuing political objectives through sports bodies like the BCCI, arguing that such actions could further strain ties with the neighbouring country.
In an interview with IANS, Chavan said the BCCI's decision clearly indicated that India was taking action against Bangladesh and questioned the rationale behind what he described as unnecessarily antagonising neighbouring nations.
"I don't understand why we are trying to make enemies of our neighbouring countries," he said.
His remarks come amid growing concern over the worsening situation for Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, following the recent killing of four Hindu men.
India has strongly objected to the incidents of violence and has repeatedly called on Dhaka to ensure the safety and protection of minority communities in the neighbouring country.
At the same time, Bangladesh's recent diplomatic moves have also raised eyebrows in India. Dhaka has been perceived as moving closer to China and has made several provocative statements against India, including a recent remark referring to the 'chicken's neck' corridor in India's northeastern region.
Reacting to these developments, Chavan said India's approach towards its neighbours has suffered in recent times.
"Our relations with the neighbouring nations have deteriorated in recent times due to our foreign policies. The Bangladesh player who was going to play IPL this time was asked to be dropped by the BCCI. The sports situation with Bangladesh might soon turn like that with Pakistan," he told IANS.
Emphasising India's regional position, he added, "India is a huge nation, and our neighbouring nations are small; we do not have anything to fear, and hence, we should maintain good relations with all of them."
The Congress leader further described the exclusion of Mustafizur Rahman from the KKR squad as a form of "economic sanction" and urged that politics should not be played through sporting institutions.
"This is a kind of economic sanction. In the IPL, if a player is sanctioned or selected, he receives an amount of around Rs 8-10 crore as fees or allowance, which benefits the country he belongs to. In that sense, it can be seen as India playing its politics through the BCCI," he said.
Chavan warned that such actions could have long-term diplomatic consequences.
"If a player worth Rs 8-9 crore is dropped, then it clearly means that we are taking an action against Bangladesh, which will deteriorate our relations. Just like the situation we have with Pakistan, it seems our relations with Bangladesh will also become similar. I don't understand what kind of foreign policy this is that we are following," he added.
