Cricket & diplomacy should be kept separate: BJP

Chennai, Mar 31: BJP today said cricket and diplomacy between India and Pakistan should be kept separate and the game allowed to remain a game.

"Let the game be game. Dialogue diplomacy should be separated from cricket," senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told reporters at the BJP state headquarters.

Responding to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's invitation to his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani to watch yesterday's semi-final encounter between the two countries at Mohali which India won, she initially described it as "thing of the past."

However,pressed for her party's reaction, the opposition leader in the Lok Sabha said games and diplomacy should be kept separate.

The BJP leader is here for campaigning for the April 13 assembly elections.

PTI