Travelling to Pakistan not BCCI's call, government will decide: BCCI chief Roger Binny
Bengaluru, Oct 20: The BCCI can't take a call on its own on whether the Indian team will travel to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup or not as it relies on the government to make such decisions, new Board president Roger Binny said on Thursday.
Speaking at an event organised by Karnataka State Cricket Association here, Binny said the BCCI has not approached the government yet on travelling to Pakistan next year but eventually the central government will only decide on the matter.
"That is not BCCI's call. We need government's clearance to leave the country. Whether we leave the country or teams coming into the country, we need clearance.
"Once we get clearance from the government then we go with it. We can't make decision on our own. We have to rely on the government. We have not approached them yet," said World Cup winner Binny.
The Asia Cup is scheduled to be played in Pakistan in September next year, ahead of the ODI World Cup in India.
Binny's comments came after BCCI secretary Jay Shah said the Indian team will not travel to Pakistan next year for the Asia Cup and will instead like to play the tournament at a neutral venue.
Earlier on Thursday, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said the Indian team will need clearance from the Home Ministry to travel to Pakistan.
A 'disappointed' Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday requested the Asian Cricket Council to convene an emergency meeting.
Referring to Shah's comment, the PCB had said that "such statements can spilt the Asian and international cricket communities" and impact Pakistan's visit to India for the 2023 World Cup.
India haven't travelled to Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup, and after the Mumbai terror attack on November 26 that year, the scheduled bilateral series in early 2009 was cancelled.
Pakistan did travel to India for a short six-match white-ball series in 2012, but in the last 10 years, there hasn't been any bilateral cricket. The two teams have only played each other at various ICC and ACC events.
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Catholic Bishops' body slams Bhagwat's remarks
New Delhi: The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India on Thursday slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his reported remark that Pranab Mukherjee, when he was President, had said tribals would turn "anti-national" if there is no "ghar wapsi"Catholic Bishops.'
In a statement issued here, CBCI, a body of Catholic Bishops, referred to reports which said Bhagwat, at an event on Monday, claimed that Mukherjee, while he was President had appreciated ghar wapsi and told him that had it not been for the Sangh's work on reconversion, a section of Adivasis would have turned "anti-national".The CBCI called the report "shocking".
"Fabricated personal conversation being attributed to a former president of India and its posthumous publication with the vested interest of an organization with questionable credibility raises a grave issue of national importance," the CBCI claimed.
"Is it not the violent ghar wapsi program of VHP and other similar organizations, curtailing the exercise of freedom of conscience of economically deprived tribals, the real anti-national activity?" it asked.
'Ghar wapsi' is a term used by the RSS and affiliated organisations to refer to reconversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism, based on the belief that they were originally Hindus before converting to other religions.
The CBCI also questioned why Bhagwat did not speak about it while Mukherjee was alive.
"We, the 2.3 percent of Indian citizens who are Christians feel extremely hurt by such manipulated and motivated propaganda unleashed," it said.
In a post on X following the statement issued by CBCI, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said, "Speak up. This is a start!"
"Bishops body have issued a statement condemning remarks made by Dr Mohan Bhagwat and RSS for defaming the Christian community," he said.
O'Brien added that they should ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi more questions, including why Christmas Day has been turned into "Good Governance Day".
The TMC leader, in a blogpost earlier this month, had said "hard questions" must be asked to the government with regards to the Christian community, including why the FCRA has been 'weaponised', and why has Manipur been 'ignored'.
