Ashish Shelar slams Shiv Sena (UBT) for opposing India-Pakistan Asia Cup match

Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar on Friday hit out at the Shiv Sena UBT for opposing Indias match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup cricket tournament saying international sporting events cannot be dictated by bilateral political standoffs reported news agency PTITalking to reporters the state cultural affairs minister accused Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut of adopting an antiIndia position on the issueOur stand has always been clear that the Indian cricket team will not undertake a tour of Pakistan and vice versa However we cannot restrict our team from playing or participating in an international tournament What sort of stand is this It is not an appropriate stand Shelar said reported PTIRaut had on Thursday said that the Sena UBT will hold Sindoor Rakhsa campaign on September 14 to protest against India playing Pakistan in Abu Dhabi that day as part of the Asia Cup tournamentPlaying cricket with Pakistan amounts to betrayal he saidCriticising Rauts stand Shelar pointed out that Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad was once invited to the residence of late Shiv Sena founder Bal ThackerayThose who oppose Indias participation now should remember that Balasaheb had hosted Miandad at his own home he remarked reported PTIThe BJP minister further condemned a purported video showing some people offering milk to a poster of Mughal ruler AurangzebWe will not only condemn such acts but oppose them Shiv Sena UBT and its allies maintain a selective silence because of their political equations with the Congress They are vocal against renaming a metro station after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj but have kept mum about the glorification of Aurangzeb he alleged reported PTIOn the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC elections Shelar said the BJP along with allies Shiv Sena and the NCP would jointly contest and appoint the mayorWe will fight as one and win he assertedHe also took a swipe at the oppositions INDIA bloc claiming they could not reconcile with electoral defeatsOn speculation that members of the INDIA bloc had crossvoted for NDA candidate C P Radhakrishnan in the vicepresidential polls Shelar said I want to thank Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar for helping us get more votes than his actual Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha strength I will not comment publicly on it reported PTIShelar also dismissed conflict of interest allegations levelled against Union Minister Nitin Gadkari as part of paid campaignsThe Congress had last week alleged that Gadkari has been aggressively lobbying for ethanol production while his two sons are involved in firms that produce ethanol and benefited from government policyShelar said There is not a single blot on the personal or public life of Gadkari and his family People whose business interests are affected try to malign the image of such leaders I strongly suspect that urban naxals are behind it reported PTIHe added that the BJP government would never back down on decisions taken in the public interest including its push for ecofriendly ethanolblended fuelThe country supports the policy for ecofriendly fuel Poor people and environmental activists have backed it he assertedWith inputs from PTI