Sena raises the pitch against Pakistan

Party MP and senior leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday reiterated that it would not allow Pakistan to play in Mumbai in the ongoing Champions Trophy.

In a reference to the move to dig up the cricket pitch if Pakistan reached the finals, the leader said they had already prepared a plan and that could not be disclosed now. But he stressed the plan would be in true Sena-style.  The leader said, "We are totally against the Pakistan cricket team. It is not just the Shiv Sena, but the whole country should come together and protest against Pakistan," he said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray urged Mumbaikars to boycott the forthcoming cricket match between India and Pakistan to be played in the city in the Champions Trophy.

Thackeray, in an article in Saamna, the party’s mouthpiece, said at least such a move would serve as condemnation for the terror activities sponsored by Islamabad. In the hard-hitting article, he said, "We have been saying for years now that there should not be any cricket match between Pakistan and India. "We are also cricket-lovers. But the love for the game should not be at the cost of the game,"

Earlier, the Shiv Sena dug up the Wankhede Stadium pitch in 1991. The Pakistani team is in India to take part in the 10-nation Champions Trophy, the finals of which will be played in Mumbai at Braborne stadium.