BJP leader Amit Malviya criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following India’s Asia Cup victory over Pakistan, accusing the Congress party of intentionally refraining from sending any congratulatory message to the national cricket team. Malviya, who leads the BJP’s IT cell, compared Congress’s silence regarding the cricket win to its muted response to Operation Sindoor, in which Indian forces targeted Pakistan. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he claimed that Rahul Gandhi and his party appeared to be in a ‘comatose state’ after India’s significant win, suggesting they seemed to be waiting for ‘permission from Pakistan’ before celebrating.
He highlighted that Congress did not share a single social media post praising India’s performance, even though the team triumphed over Pakistan three times during the tournament to secure the Asia Cup. The situation intensified when India declined to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council chief and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi during the post-match ceremony. Malviya asserted that India’s refusal was due to Naqvi’s insistence on personally presenting the trophy, as he also holds the position of Pakistan’s Interior Minister.