The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has faced criticism from both the public and Opposition parties for allowing the Indian cricket team to play against arch-rival Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup tournament.
Amid public backlash against the BJP and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the governing body of cricket in India, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale launched a scathing attack against the Modi government, alleging that the government permitted the match solely to enable illegal betting.
In a post on X on Sunday, hours before India faced Pakistan in Dubai, Gokhale wrote: "The simple reason why the Modi Government has allowed the India vs Pakistan cricket match today - to enable illegal betting."
He further alleged, "Sources say a large chunk of money from shady illegal betting comes to the BJP. That's another reason why online money games were banned recently - because they were taking away money from the shadow betting industry."
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, he said, "Even after innocents were killed, Modi-Shah have promoted an India-Pakistan match today. The main reason? MONEY. There's no 'sindoor' that flows in their veins. Only money."
Meanwhile, hours before the high-octane India-Pakistan match, Dubai Police issued comprehensive guidelines for spectators. Dubai Police and the Events Security Committee (ESC) announced that fines exceeding ₹12 lakh will be imposed on fans found with prohibited items.
