Shashi Tharoor Clarifies Remark On ‘Boycott’ Campaign For India-Lanka Match

New Delhi:

Congress MP from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, today clarified that his remark on an alleged boycott campaign, which he claims resulted in a low turnout for the final One Day International cricket match between India and Sri Lanka on Sunday, was misinterpreted by some. Without specifying the supposed distortion, he stressed that boycotts should only target the person against whom boycotters are protesting. Boycotting the game only hurts prospects of cricket in Thiruvananthapuram, he added. His reference was to Kerala Sports Minister V Abdurahiman, who had shot back over complaints of high ticket prices, saying those who can’t afford it need not attend the match, upsetting the state’s cricket fans.

Though Mr Tharoor, who was at the stadium to watch the match, blamed the poor attendance on the Sports Minister’s remark, the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) said the low turnout was due to the ongoing Sabarimala pilgrimage season, Pongal festival, and some CBSE exams scheduled to commence from Monday.

“Boycotts are a democratic right, but they should target the person against whom the boycotters are protesting. I have nothing against those who were understandably outraged by the Minister’s callous comment that those who can’t afford to buy a ticket need not attend the match. The Sports Minister, who didn’t bother enough to even attend the match, doesn’t care if the gallery is full or empty. He was unaffected by the boycott. The protestors should have boycotted the Minister, not the game. The boycott only hurt the future prospects of cricket in Tvm,” he said in a series of tweets clarifying his remark.

1. It appears that my statement yesterday regretting the poor attendance at the third India-SriLanka ODI, as a result of the social media boycott urged by fans enraged by the insensitive remarks of the Kerala Sports Minister, has been misrepresented by some.

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 16, 2023

The Congress MP said the KCA, “which has nothing to do with the Minister or his insensitive comments”, needed a good turnout to bolster its case for Thiruvananthapuram to be selected as a World Cup venue later this year. “If the low turnout yesterday is held against us by the BCCI, only sports fans will suffer,” he added.

He said his remarks at the stadium yesterday were partially reported and distorted by some, and that he, as a cricket fan and the local MP, only wants top class cricket to flourish in the constituency.

“What is the need for reducing the tax? The argument is that the country is witnessing the phenomenon of price rise, so the tax should be reduced. Those who are starving need not go to watch the match,” the Minister had earlier said.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Tharoor had said the Minister could have avoided saying what he said, and the public ought to have not boycotted the match. “I saw some campaigns on social media calling for a boycott of the match. It appears their campaign was effective. I think it was illogical to boycott it. I was fortunate to watch the match, so were those who came here,” the Congress MP said.

CPI(M) State secretary M V Govindan, however, came to the aid of the minister by saying that Mr Abdurahiman only meant to say that those who are poor may not be able to come and watch the match.

“It was the media who made his statement controversial,” Mr Govindan said.

Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor Arya Rajendran had said the fall in ticket sales was probably because India had already won the series, or because it is an ODI which is longer than a 20-20 fixture, so people may not have had a lot of time to spend on the game, news agency PTI reported. She, however, said the increase in entertainment tax on the ticket prices or the Minister’s statement may not be the reason for the drop in sales.