Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], October 16 : Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore on Friday clarified his remarks on Pakistan, which triggered a political row, saying his statement was made in the context of a cricket match and had been edited and distorted to damage his reputation.
Speaking to ANI, Rathore said his remarks were made during a programme organised on the birth anniversary of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, where members of the Muslim community were present.
"Yesterday was the birth anniversary of former President Abdul Kalam. There was an event marking the occasion, where workers of the Muslim community were present. I remarked that patriotism is essential—for instance, if India were to play a cricket match against Pakistan and, unfortunately, India were to lose, then anyone who bursts firecrackers in celebration is not a patriot. I further added that if, for example, America were playing against Pakistan, that would be a different matter; if it (the sport) is being taken as a war, this is unfortunate. It seems someone has propagated this to cause me harm. If you listen to my actual words--the full statement--everything will become clear. One must also consider the context," he said.
Alleging a conspiracy, Rathore said, "Someone has taken a 2-second or 8–10-second clip and presented it out of context. There is a conspiracy here."
"Our relationship with Pakistan is one of hostility; they breed terrorism and provide training to terrorists. They orchestrate conspiracies and carry out attacks against us—how could we possibly coexist with them? We never could," he added.
Rejecting suggestions that he had backed war, he said, "Our stance is absolutely clear. But to take a comment regarding a cricket match and twist it in this manner--that is simply wrong. It was explicitly about a cricket match... There was no mention of war whatsoever. The statement was about a match—a cricket match."
The controversy erupted after Rathore, while addressing a programme in Jaipur on Thursday, said that India would support Pakistan if a conflict broke out between the United States and Pakistan, citing the two countries' neighbouring relationship.
"We all need to understand this. Look, Hindustan... yes, I say this--that today, if something happens between America and Pakistan, then we are with Pakistan because they are our neighbour. Right? We will have to understand this point. But if something happens between us (India and Pakistan), then we are with our Bharat (India). Right? We all need to understand this," Rathore had said.
During the same programme, the Rajasthan BJP chief also spoke about patriotism, national unity and the need to strengthen citizens.
He said every citizen should become strong, prosperous and patriotic, adding that people needed to develop a sense of national spirit to make the country stronger.
Rathore also referred to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's remarks on religious harmony, saying people should not be divided on religious lines. He said those who were loyal to India and patriotic were brothers and should live together.
Following the remarks, Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed criticised Rathore in a post on X, alleging that the BJP's support for Pakistan had been exposed.
"The BJP’s love for the terrorist nation Pakistan, which kills our soldiers and our people, has come on display once again. Rajasthan BJP President Madan Rathore says he is with Pakistan if the US and Pakistan go to war. Are @narendramodi and @AmitShah also with Pakistan? If not, let us know what action is being taken against this anti-national," she said.
https://x.com/drshamamohd/status/2110762962718019685
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also attacked the BJP over the statement, questioning the party's position on nationalism.
In a post on X, AAP said, "Statement by BJP's Rajasthan State President Madan Rathore: If a war breaks out between America and Pakistan, we stand with Pakistan! When the public asks questions, they're Pakistani; when youth raise their voices, they're terrorists! But when a BJP leader talks about standing with Pakistan, where does Modi's nationalism disappear to? Is the BJP, which talks about standing with Pakistan, a traitor or not, Mr. Modi?"
https://x.com/AamAadmiParty/status/2110789121434361997
Meanwhile, the Rajasthan BJP unit defended Rathore, saying his statement had been distorted and presented in a manner that did not reflect the intended context.
"The statement I made was in the context of the cricket match between India and Pakistan, but my statement was distorted and presented in a way that is absolutely not appropriate," the Rajasthan BJP unit quoted Rathore as saying in a post on X.
https://x.com/BJP4Rajasthan/status/2110800181415510497
The controversy comes amid political exchanges over the remarks, with Rathore maintaining that his comments were related to cricket and not a war between countries.