In a formidable show of defiance, AAP’s student wing—the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP)—and Youth Wing marched alongside Delhiites on Sunday evening to protest the India–Pakistan cricket match. They stormed Connaught Place and other hotspots where screenings were being arranged, waving the tricolour and chanting, “blood and cricket cannot go together.” Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj praised the student activists for winning the hearts of hundreds of young protesters.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly opposed the Modi government’s decision to allow an India–Pakistan cricket match despite the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. As part of this resistance, AAP’s student wing—ASAP—staged widespread protests on Sunday.
ASAP functionaries gathered at Connaught Place in the evening, where My Square Bar was preparing to screen the India–Pakistan match live. The student wing held a loud and determined protest, joined by large numbers of citizens who rallied outside the venue with AAP’s Youth Wing, chanting slogans against the BJP government.
Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj shared videos of the protest on X, noting, “On Sunday at Connaught Place, My Square Bar was gearing up to screen the India–Pakistan match. They want to show the match and earn money. But those who died in Pahalgam, those who sacrificed their lives on our nation’s borders—neither the BJP government nor these traders care for them. The Aam Aadmi Party strongly opposes playing matches with Pakistan. AAP’s student wing staged a spirited protest at Connaught Place, and the Youth Wing won the hearts of hundreds of young people. Many of them themselves joined the chants against the match.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj further wrote on X, “Inside the restaurant, some people were casually discussing what will happen on Monday morning. Bettors will win billions of dollars, some Pakistani cricketers will sell out, Pakistan will earn huge sums of money, and that money will fuel terrorism in India. The spin will be—this is Pahalgam’s revenge.”
ASAP declared, “Pakistani terrorists have shot innocent Indians in cold blood. We do not want India to play cricket with Pakistan. We oppose the central government’s policy of sporting ties with Pakistan. The BJP’s double standards will not be tolerated. Today is a black day for the nation.”
“The BJP parades as patriotic, but in truth, it is a party of fake patriots. Pakistani terrorists have snatched the sindoor of our sisters, yet today we are playing cricket with that very terrorist state. Why? Because the BJP wants profit. They love money, not the nation. They do not care for the nation’s honour—only for filling their own coffers. Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s son sits in the BCCI, and it is only for money that this match is happening. But blood and cricket cannot go together,” the ASAP asserted.
