‘No Pitch Can Wash Off Our Martyrs’ Blood’

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee has taken a firm stand against any form of engagement with Pakistan, asserting that India’s only focus should be reclaiming Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

In a strongly-worded post on X, Banerjee—who is also the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee—criticised calls to separate politics from sports and rejected the idea of sporting ties with Pakistan.

“INDIA MUST NOT ENGAGE WITH PAKISTAN in any sphere. The only engagement we should have with Pakistan is on the BATTLEFIELD and the only prize worth WINNING is Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK),” Banerjee wrote.

He accused Pakistan of exporting terror for decades and causing “irreparable loss to Indian lives and families.” “When a nation wages a proxy war, there is no ‘neutral ground.’ THERE IS NO CRICKET PITCH WISE ENOUGH TO WASH OFF THE BLOOD OF OUR MARTYRS,” he added.

Banerjee stressed that while cricketers are respected, the nation owes its freedom and security to the armed forces, “Our TRICOLOUR flies high not because of a bat and ball, but because of the unmatched courage and valour of our armed forces. We honour our cricketers, but as a nation, we revere our soldiers.”

He further called sporting engagements with Pakistan “a bloody betrayal” of those who guard the nation, “Extending HANDSHAKE TO A NATION THAT FIRES BULLETS ACROSS OUR BORDERS IS NOT DIPLOMACY – IT’S A BLOODY BETRAYAL!”

Concluding his message, Banerjee tied his remarks to the recent Pahalgam terror attack, saying, “If there is to be a match with Pakistan, let it be fought at the LoC and let PoJK be the only trophy we seek. Anything less is an insult to our martyrs and a betrayal to the victims of Pahalgam.”

Banerjee’s comments come amid heightened political tensions following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor, with opposition leaders demanding accountability from the government over national security issues.