On September 4, India lost a match to Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup by 5 wickets. Following the defeat, propagandists from Pakistan and trolls on Twitter and other social media platforms ran a campaign to defame Arshdeep by calling him a ‘Khalistani’.
Arshdeep’s parents were also in Dubai to watch their son playing for Team India. When they arrived back, several media houses approached them and questioned their views on the controversy.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Arshdeep’s father, Darshan Singh, who has served with the CISF, said, “We went to watch the match. India-Pak match is always interesting. Fans get emotional, angry when their team loses and say a few words. We are taking it positively, and there is no problem.”
His mother, Baljeet Kaur, said, “We also watched the first match and the second match was also good, but silly mistakes happen and can happen by anyone. People have a habit of saying, let them say. If people are commenting on it, it means they love him.”
They spoke to Sports Tak at the Chandigarh airport in Mohali upon arrival in a detailed interview over the issue. When Arshdeep’s father was asked about the controversy, he said, “I do not want to comment on this. Fans want their teams to win, and when they lose, some fans criticise the players. It is part of the game. We should not take it negatively and use it to improve our game.”
The reporter repeatedly questioned him on his views over the use of the term ‘Khalistani’ that Arshdeep’s father categorically ignored and said, “I do not want to speak other than about the game. It is part of the game. Winning and losing are parts of the game. When we win, our drawbacks get overlooked, but when we lose, they become a matter of discussion. If Pakistan had lost the match, their player who dropped the catch would have faced a similar fate.”
He added, “Arshdeep told me that he himself is reading the comments. He is taking criticism positively and will use it to improve his game. There is a lot left in the tournament. He will shine.”
When the reporter asked his mother if she felt bad, she said, “No, I did not. There is every type of fan. Some criticise the players but the rest of them love the players.” Speaking about the allegations that Arshdeep intentionally dropped the catch, she said, “We cannot stop anyone from saying anything. Let them speak what they want to. We will take it positively and move forward.” She further added that they told Arshdeep to ignore the controversy and concentrate on his game.
Indian Express quoted Darshan Singh as saying, “As a parent, it feels really bad. He is only 23. I don’t want to say much about trolls. You can’t shut everyone’s mouth. Without fans, there is no game. There are some who stand by you no matter what and others who can’t digest a single loss. But at the end of the day, only one team can win.”
Quoting Arshdeep, his father said, “Before returning, we had a word with Arshdeep. His exact words were – I am laughing at all these tweets and messages. I am only going to take positives from it. This incident has only given me more confidence.” Arshdeep’s parents are planning to go for the finals if India qualifies for it.
Interestingly, AAP leader Harbhajan Mann, Alt News’ co-founder Mohammed Zubair and the entire left cabal were busy propagating that Indians are abusing Arshdeep for the catch he dropped and calling him Khalistani. Several Twitter users pointed out that many tweets name-calling Arshdeep originated from Pakistan, as did the Wikipedia edit of his page. Some prominent personalities from Pakistan and of Pakistan origin were also seen propagating the same.
Amidst all the campaigns running to defame India and Indians over the matter, the IT Ministry summoned Wikipedia India officials to seek an explanation of how Arshdeep’s Wikipedia page was vandalised and what were security measures in place to prevent such edits.