Cricket diplomacy ends; BJP leaders happy to attend WC final

Mumbai, Apr 1: It seems like the reason behind BJP's boycott of Indo-Pak World Cup semi-final match in Mohali was the Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Sources close to party reported that top-brass leaders of the party will attend the final match at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.

During the Indo-Pak semi-final match, BJP leaders were not happy with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision to extend invitation to Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and most of them skipped the match. The only BJP leader who attended the match was Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, who is a member of BCCI.

More over, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj cleared the party's stance by saying that the cricket and diplomacy between India and Pakistan should be kept separate and the game should be allowed to remain a game.

"Let the game be game. Dialogue diplomacy should be separated from cricket," Sushma Swaraj said.

Any how, India defeated Pakistan in Mohali and cruised to the finals to meet Sri Lanka. Now, BJP leaders have no problem in attending the World Cup final and importantly they have no problem with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is attending the match along with Indian President Pratibha Patil.

Party insiders said that LK Advani, Jaitley, party president Nitin Gadkari and spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain will attend the final match. It is expected that Sushma Swaraj may also attend the match to counter Congress President Sonia Gandhi's performance in Mohali.

OneIndia News