The Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena (UBT) announced that it would hold a ‘Sindoor Raksha Abhiyan’ campaign across the state on September 14 to protest against the India-Pakistan cricket match in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attacks. UBT-Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, “Later, Sindoor will be sent to prime minister Narendra Modi from lakhs of homes to remind him about the Pahalgam terrorist attack and that India should not play cricket with Pakistan.”
Since the India-Pakistan cricket match was announced the UBT-Sena has repeatedly opposed it, with party chief Uddhav Thackeray slamming PM Modi for allowing such a compromise of national pride. Uddhav alleged that the match was only being allowed since Jai Shah, son of union home minister Amit Shah, was the chairman of the International Cricket Council.On Thursday, Raut announced that the party’s women wing will protest against the match on Sunday, the day the match is scheduled, under the ‘Sindoor Raksha Abhiyan’. He added that the PM Modi led government had hailed ‘Operation Sindoor’, the military action against alleged terror spots in Pakistan, but had failed to act against the terrorists who killed innocent tourists at Pahalgam. Chanting the slogan for the protest, Raut said, ‘Mera Sindoor, Mera Desh’ (my Sindoor, my Country).
Public sentiment in India appears to have played a significant role, with the fixture coming soon after the Pahalgam terror attack and India's subsequent Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Calls for a boycott have emerged from some Indian cricketers and pundits, and debate has intensified regarding whether the two nations should regularly face each other in multinational tournaments. Former India captain Kapil Dev has called for calm and focus on cricket, stating: "Just go and win. Those whose job is to play should just focus on playing – there's no need to say anything else. Don't make this a big issue. The government will do its job, and the players should do theirs."The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reaffirmed that it follows central government policy, engaging with Pakistan only in multinational events and not in bilateral series.India captain Suryakumar Yadav said the Men in Blue are excited to face Pakistan in Sunday's high-profile contest.Pakistan skipper Salman Agha, speaking at the captains' meet on Tuesday, insisted the Men in Green would play with their natural flair against their arch-rivals.