Cricketer Gautam Gambhir awarded BJP ticket over spewing venom against Pakistan, reveals Minister
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NEW DELHI - Cricketer Gautam Gambhir awarded BJP ticket over spewing venom against Pakistan, reveals Minister
He was praised by Union Minister Arun Jaitley for not being among the players who "seemed to have turned sympathisers of Pakistan". Mr Jaitley also brought up an India-Pak match in which Mr Gambhir had a heated exchange with former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi.
"If you have read his tweets while he played cricket and if you remember his famous visual in the match with Pakistan, there was unpleasantness. At least our experience of former cricketers turning Pakistan sympathisers seems unlikely in this case," Mr Jaitley said.
The remarks brought to the mind another former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu, who quit the BJP in 2016 and later joined the Congress.
Now a Punjab minister, Mr Sidhu has been caught in a controversy over his visit across the border for Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's oath ceremony in August, in which he had a front row seat and was seen hugging the Pakistan army chief. by Taboola link: Sponsored Links link: . link You Should Never Store in The FridgeHealth & Human Research link
Gautam Gambhir's political debut as a member of the ruling party comes as it finalizes candidates for the April-May national election.
The former batsman, who retired from cricket in December, is expected to contest the polls from Delhi.
