'Chosen profit over compassion': Gaurav Gogoi slams BJP on India-Pak Asia Cup match

Gaurav Gogoi

Congress’ Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, has once again attacked the BJP-led government for allowing the India–Pakistan cricket encounter to take place, saying that the move demonstrates how the ruling party has "chosen profit over compassion".

He described the development as "a betrayal of national sentiment and a grave insult to the memory of the victims" of the Pahalgam terror attack, where civilians had lost their lives only a few months ago.

In a post on X, Gogoi remarked, "The decision of the BJP government to go ahead with the India–Pakistan cricket match exposes its misplaced priorities." He stressed that the families of those killed in the terror attack continue to bear the grief of the tragedy.

"Yet this government has chosen profit and spectacle over compassion and sensitivity. By treating cricket as separate from the blood that has been shed on our soil, they have shown that money matters more than the suffering of our people," the Assam Congress president said.

India and Pakistan are clashing in Dubai on Sunday in a group-stage game of the Asia Cup, marking their first T20 International face-off in over 15 months.

Gogoi had previously urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) not to go ahead with any fixtures against Pakistan under the current strained bilateral situation. Only last month, he wrote to BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, asking him to ensure India’s withdrawal from matches with the neighbouring country.

Earlier, in another social media post, Gogoi appealed to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to leverage his proximity to Saikia, who also serves as the state’s advocate general, to press upon the apex cricket board not to proceed with the Pakistan game.

He has now declared that he will personally boycott the high-profile contest if it goes ahead. "Playing cricket when soldiers have died is an insult," he asserted.