A rancorous exchange between an Indian journalist and a former Pakistani cricketer on social media platform X over the behaviour of Indian cricket fans took a surprising turn when BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia weighed in to "stand with a fellow Indian".
On Sunday, journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani spoke about the "deplorable behavior" of Indian cricket fans during World Cup matches.
"Deplorable behaviour of many cricket fans during World Cup matches makes me feel embarrassed and ashamed as an Indian. This petty, insecure and majoritarian approach towards sports which was meant to bring people together, is symbolic of India Modi-RSS have created in last decade," Ms Sherwani wrote.
Responding to the post, former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria wrote, "Come to my country Pakistan if you are feeling ashamed to be an Indian. India does not need people like you. I am sure many people in India will be happy to sponsor this trip."
As the exchange divided the internet and started trending, BJP's Gaurav Bhatia intervened, throwing his support behind the journalist "over the common faith we both have" and warned the cricketer to "never ever dare to trouble a fellow Indian".
"Mr Danish Kaneria it would be nice if you could put your house in order first. Arfa criticized our country, wrongly so. But our relationship is not defined by the religion we profess but by the country we love, our Bharat. Even when there is very little in common with her, I decide to stand with a fellow Indian over the common faith we both have. This will surely go a long way to show every citizen that the bond of love for our country should always be stronger than the bond of religion. Never ever dare to trouble a fellow Indian otherwise you will also be thrown out of the arena like the cricket ball," Mr Bhatia wrote.
Mr Bhatia's post was not well received by several social media users, who criticized him for speaking against the former Pakistan spinner who was apparently supporting India.
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