Sunil Chadha & Munish Sood
DHARAMSHALA/MANDI:
A viral video allegedly showing former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur seated beside former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi during the high-voltage India–Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 match in Dubai has sparked political uproar in Himachal Pradesh and beyond.
While critics slammed Anurag Thakur’s “perceived hypocrisy”, the BJP has forcefully rebutted the claim, calling it “manufactured propaganda” based on “misleading and outdated footage”.
Viral clip and the controversy
The video, which surfaced shortly after India’s six-wicket victory over Pakistan in Dubai, shows Anurag Thakur and Afridi seated in what appears to be a classroom-style viewing area during the match. Social media users were quick to point out Afridi’s past anti-India rhetoric and questioned Anurag Thakur’s proximity to someone who has supported separatist voices in Kashmir.
Given Anurag Thakur’s well-documented nationalist stance, including past slogans like “goli maaro…” and his strong opposition to India-Pakistan cricket ties, the optics triggered immediate backlash.
“If a Congress leader had even waved at Afridi, the BJP IT cell would’ve called them anti-national,” read one viral post. Another user noted, “Anurag Thakur watching cricket with Afridi is the same as inviting a fox to guard the henhouse.”
Ground reality: Anurag Thakur was in Himachal, not Dubai
Contrary to the viral claim, official records and on-ground activity logs confirm that Anurag Thakur was not in Dubai at the time of the match. Instead, he was on a two-day tour of his Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, inspecting infrastructure work and holding development review meetings.
On September 14, Anurag Thakur chaired a session with NHAI officials in Samirpur, focusing on delays in the NH-3 four-laning project, a high-stakes issue currently drawing public scrutiny.
“This video is old, repackaged and timed to mislead. Anurag Thakur has been active in Himachal. This is nothing but a digital smear campaign,” said Rajinder Rana, BJP leader and Thakur’s party colleague.
Calling the video “a doctored or misused clip”, BJP leaders suggested it was released to distract from ongoing failures in the Congress-ruled state. “Anurag Thakur’s growing stature makes him a target. He’s being vilified through fake visuals because political rivals cannot match his performance,” said Mahesh Sipahiya, BJP’s district functionary.
Party insiders claim the video is from a previous tournament and is being circulated now to exploit public sentiment following the India-Pakistan match.
Addressing the wider controversy over India’s participation in the Asia Cup, Anurag Thakur explained that playing against Pakistan was not a diplomatic choice but a tournament obligation.
“When multinational tournaments are organised by the ACC or ICC, participation becomes a compulsion. If a country refuses to play, it forfeits the match, and the other team gains points,” he clarified.
He reaffirmed that India continues to avoid bilateral cricket with Pakistan due to the country’s continued support for terrorism. “There is no change in policy. India will not play bilateral matches with Pakistan until terror activities stop,” he said.
Opposition slams BJP’s ‘double standards’
Despite the clarification, Congress leaders in Himachal have not held back. They accuse the BJP of maintaining double standards, invoking nationalism when convenient and sidestepping it when it suits business or political interests.
Sanjeev Guleria, Congress leader and APMC chairman, said, “You can’t claim ‘terror and talks can’t go together’ on one hand and then sit with someone like Afridi on the other. What is more important to BJP — national security or TV ratings and cricket revenues?”
Jagdish Reddy from Seraj said, “This match was a slap in the face of every soldier martyred at the border. How can we normalise cricket with a nation that glorifies terrorists?”
The episode is being seen as yet another example of the power and danger of viral misinformation in India’s hyper-politicised digital space. Experts warn that misleading clips can irreparably damage reputations even before facts surface.
“Visual misinformation is far more dangerous than textual. People believe what they see, and by the time a fact-check arrives, the damage is done,” said Dr Anjali Mehta, media studies professor at Delhi University.
According to a 2024 Internet Freedom Foundation study, 62 per cent of viral political misinformation in India involved video or images taken out of context.
Political undercurrent in Himachal
The controversy comes at a time when Anurag Thakur’s profile is steadily rising in national politics. He is being seen as a potential BJP CM face in Himachal or as someone poised for a higher central role. His recent assertiveness in pushing for infrastructure accountability, including confronting NHAI over NH-3 delays, has ruffled feathers.
Observers suggest the timing of the video is not coincidental. “This is not about cricket, but power equations ahead of 2027,” said a Shimla-based analyst.
