In a new and strange controversy, MLA's of two leading opposition parties – Congress and Samajwadi Party – in the Maharashtra State Assembly have raised questions about the use of an orange-coloured jersey by the Indian cricket team in their upcoming match against hosts England, as part of the ongoing ICC 2019 World Cup, on June 30.
Former minister and now an MLA from the Congress, Naseem Khan said the decision of the Indian cricket board is influenced by political considerations. ""Ever since the Modi government has come to power, it has been playing saffron politics. The Tricolour should be respected and national harmony should be promoted. This government wants to saffronise everything," he said.
Similar views were expressed by Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi. The controversial politician said: "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."
The reason for Indian team wearing a different jersey for the game against England is the fact that both teams have blue kits and in order to avoid confusion, the visiting side has been requested to prepare an alternative jersey. This is a common occurrence in other sports but a relatively new concept in cricket.
There hasn't been an official statement issued by the leadership of either party and no response from BCCI also, till now.
