Mumbai: Actress-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar on Tuesday reacted to Kirti Azad's statement criticising Team India members for visiting the Hanuman Temple with the T20 World Cup trophy after victory against New Zealand.
Sundar said that she, too, is a Muslim, but prayed to both Allah and God for the Indian team to win, adding that the trophy belongs to every Indian. "...I am Muslim myself, and I pray to both Allah and God for the Indian team to win... That trophy is a matter of pride for all of India, and it belongs to every Indian...," Sundar said as quoted by IANS.
What Did Kirti Azad Say About Team India?
Azad questioned why the trophy was taken to a Hanuman temple in Ahmedabad after the win, arguing that the national team represents all Indians regardless of religion and suggesting it should have been taken to a mosque, church or gurdwara instead.
He wrote in a tweet, "SHAME ON TEAM INDIA! When we won the World Cup under Kapil Dev in 1983, we had Hindu Muslim Sikh and Christians in the team. We brought the trophy to our religious birthplace our motherland India Bharat Hindustan Why The Hell Is The Indian Cricket Trophy is being Dragged. Why NOT a Mosque? Why NOT a Church? Why NOT a Gurudwara? This Team Represents INDIA — not Surya Kumar Yadav's or Jay Shah's Family! Siraj never paraded it at a Mosque. Sanju never took it to a Church. The latter had a major part to play and was man of the tournament. The Trophy Belongs to 1.4 BILLION Indians of EVERY Faith — NOT ONE RELIGION'S VICTORY LAP!"
