Congress, SP oppose orange jerseys for Indian team in ICC World Cup

The BCCI's decision to make the Indian cricket team wear orange jerseys, instead of the current blue one, for their 7th match of the 2019 ICC World Cup against England, has been met with criticism by Opposition leaders. They have accused the BJP-led central government of playing "saffron politics".

New Delhi: With the Indian cricket team set to sport an orange jersey for their 7th match of the 2019 ICC World Cup against England on June 30, Congress and Samajwadi Party legislators have opposed the move and termed it as part of the Bharatiya Janta Party's bid to "saffronise" the country.

Congress leader Mohammed Arif Khan accused the BJP of playing saffron politics, "ever since the Modi government has come to power, it has been playing saffron politics which is detrimental to the country's unity and integrity."

"The BJP has been trying to saffronise everything ranging from sports, cultural events, state government programmes, and education. This is very unfortunate for the country. It is important to respect the Tricolour first," said Khan while speaking to the media at an event in Maharashtra.

Echoing the Congress leader's sentiment, SP leader Abu Asim Azmi suggested that the government was behind the decision and said that the jersey was part of growing saffronisation in the country.

"Modi ji wants to saffronise the entire country. A Muslim was the one who designed the Indian Tricolour. There are other colours in the Tricolour, why choose only orange? It will be better if their jersey is based on the Tricolour," Azmi said.

As per ICC rules, all teams in the 2019 World Cup except the host England, need to have provisions for two different coloured kits.

The Indian and England cricket kits were similar in colour, which is why the BCCI decided to make the players wear orange jerseys.