New Delhi, September 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress leader Udit Raj on Monday criticised the Indian women’s cricket team for refusing to receive the Women’s Asia Cup trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, describing the move as “theatrics” and “drama”.
Speaking to IANS, Raj said that since Pakistani players were already in India and participating in the tournament, refusing to accept the trophy from Naqvi was unnecessary.
“Again, theatrics, terrible theatrics, and event theatrics. When the Pakistan team has already come, the Pakistani players have come here, are staying here and are playing, then this theatrics of not taking the trophy from his hands is only drama,” he said.
His comments came a day after India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the Women’s Asia Cup final to win a record-extending eighth title. During the post-match presentation, captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates did not receive the trophy from Naqvi.
The Indian women’s team followed a similar stance taken by the men’s team less than a year ago, when it declined to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi in Dubai.
On ‘Vande Mataram’ being sung before the National Anthem during the India-Afghanistan T20I match, Raj said there was no need to create a controversy around the sequence.
“What is the big deal in this? What difference does spinning an unnecessary narrative out of this make? The only thing that truly matters is that they played properly. They won, and we congratulate them on their victory,” he said.
Raj also criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would be implemented in all 21 states governed by the BJP-led NDA before 2029.
“What purpose will implementing the UCC serve? Instead, the focus should be on eradicating caste. Without the annihilation of caste, genuine national progress cannot be achieved,” Raj said.
He argued that caste-based arrangements had harmed opportunities in education and talent development and said India could not achieve its development goals without addressing the issue.
Shah had said on Sunday that the UCC, which seeks to establish common personal laws on matters including marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption irrespective of religion, would be implemented in all 21 NDA-governed states before 2029.
“We introduced the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in several states. I am confident that we will implement the UCC in all 21 states governed by the BJP-led NDA before 2029,” Shah said at a press conference in Mumbai.
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