"Bangladesh Made A Hindu Captain": JDU Leader On BCCI Sending Back KKR Pacer

A top leader of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) has called the BCCI's decision to let KKR release a Bangladeshi cricketer a move that, in his personal opinion, India should rethink.

Why?

Because the neighbouring Muslim majority, crisis-hit nation steered by the US-returned Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has just appointed a Hindu man as its cricket team captain.

Attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh had sparked calls for Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladeshi pacer Muztafizur Rahman. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) then announced its decision last week: KKR should let go of Rahman, but can find a replacement if it wanted.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi have already shared their views on the matter, from asking for not mixing cricket with politics to sending back former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Now, it is Janata Dal (United), or JD(U) top leader KC Tyagi who has added his bit on the matter.

"Sports have nothing to do with politics. But the situation in the Indian subcontinent, especially with Pakistan and Bangladesh, is tense. Pakistan is guilty of terrorism on the border and Indian society is angry about the incidents against Hindus in Bangladesh. This impacts the spirit of the game," Tyagi said.

"The BCCI's decision may have been made with those sentiments in mind. But personally, I believe that politics should not overly influence sports. When Bangladesh has appointed a Hindu cricketer, Litton Das, as captain of its team, this should make us rethink," said the leader of the Bihar party whose support base includes a significant number of Muslim voters despite its alliance with the BJP.

"We are agitated by the events in Bangladesh and have removed a Bangladeshi cricketer from the IPL. But Bangladesh appointed a minority cricketer, a Hindu, as captain of the team. This is a strong message they have sent," Tyagi added.

While officials working with Yunus claim they are protecting minorities, the ground reports say otherwise. Hindus have reported frequent attacks by Islamists across the country. Many cases have been confirmed.

Two Hindus have been killed in the last 24 hours. One was a journalist who was shot in the head. A Hindu widow was gang-raped by two men; she was tied up and her hair was cut.

The members of the Hindu community said they expect Tarique Rahman to ensure the othering of minorities does not happen in Bangladesh. Rahman, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman and son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has returned to the crisis-hit country after a gap of 17 years.

He has emerged as a top contender for prime ministership in the Bangladesh election scheduled next month, an outcome which the minority Hindus expect may bring some relief and at least a semblance of justice for a start.