Former Indian cricketer Laxman Sivaramakrishnan recently took to X, a social media platform earlier known as Twitter, to slam Rajdeep Sardesai amid the extensive efforts underway by the leftwing ecosystem to defame ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants raised by the Ahmedabad crowds in the Indo-Pak World Cup clash.
Rajdeep Sardesai, known for courting controversies, tweeted that one must not use Jai Shri Ram as an aggressive chant to mock Pakistani players. He further held forth saying Lord Ram is Maryada Purshottam, one who brings enlightenment and does not evoke enmity.
However, this pontification for the Indian crowds and demonisation of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ did not sit well with former Indian cricketer Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, who slammed Rajdeep Sardesai highlighting the abuses he had faced in Pakistan as a 16-year-old boy.
“What abuses I have got as a 16-year-old in Pakistan, only I know. From my colour to my religion to my country and culture. For Heaven’s sake if you have not experienced it, please don’t talk about it,” Sivaramakrishnan tweeted.
Rajdeep’s tweet vilifying ‘Jai Shri Ram’ appears to be a part of a concerted attempt by the leftwing ideologues to use the chanting of the slogans at the Ahmedabad stadium to whip up anti-Hindu bigotry among their supporters and project Pakistanis as the victim of this “unwarranted aggression” that has taken over India in the recent times—the political tropes they use to attack the Modi government.
Unlike the religious bigotry of the Pakistani cricketers, ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans are chants of triumph. They sing glory to Lord Ram and are not dismissive or insulting of any other faith. Yet, people like Rajdeep Sardesai and others try to cast it as an “aggressive chant” raised to mock and ridicule Pakistanis.
The Left conveniently glosses over the fact that Pakistani cricketers are rank bigots, endeavouring little to hide their contempt and scorn for non-Muslims and their beliefs. Imran Khan had once famously said that playing cricket against India was like ‘jihad’ to him. Waqar Younis last year proudly claimed that he felt happy at the site of Rizwan offering Namaz in front of over 80,000 ‘non-Muslims’. Shoaib Akhtar had endorsed the Islamist supremacist fantasy of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’. Yet, the Indian Left wants Indians to take up these insults and overtly religious tropes lying down, not responding to the bigots by affirming our belief in our Gods.
Narendra Modi stadium erupts with ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants, crowds chant the slogan as Rizwan walks back to the pavilion after getting out
As India registered a thumping victory over arch-rivals Pakistan, a video of Indian fans at the Narendra Modi stadium greeting Pakistani wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan with ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans went viral on the internet.
In the video, as Rizwan walks through the isle towards the pavilion after getting bowled on a peach of a delivery of Indian ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah, the crowds of Indian supporters lining up the stairway chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans.
It is worth noting that Rizwan had created quite a flutter with his recent tweet, dedicating the victory against Sri Lanka to Gaza residents after the Hamas terror attacks killed more than 1,300 Israelis.
Muhammad Rizwan, who managed to score a century in the match against Sri Lanka, dedicated his country’s win to “brothers and sisters in Gaza.” He also thanked the Indian audience and added, “Extremely grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support throughout.”
However, the cricketer received a lot of flak for interjecting politics into the game. A raft of social media users took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to flay the Pakistani cricketer for using the platform of the World Cup to promote his political and religious ideology.
Notably, Muhammad Rizwan is infamous for fusing politics, religion and sports much like several of his countrymen. He recently caught the attention of many when he started offering Namaz on the cricket field during the second half of the match against the Netherlands while his teammates awaited drinks during the break. He received condemnation for doing the same just in front of Indians.