Mumbai, March 11 (IANS) Actor and politician Khushboo Sundar, while talking to IANS, has reacted to the ongoing controversy surrounding the World Cup trophy being taken to a temple after India’s historic win against New Zealand national cricket team on the 8th of March.
Speaking to IANS in an exclusive conversation, Khushboo shared her strong views on the debate and said that despite being a Muslim, she has no issues with the trophy being taken to the temple post win.
“A lot of people had prayed to Allah, while many prayed to Bhagwan for the Indian team to win before the match. I am a Muslim myself, and now that the team has won, I will definitely pray to Allah, to Bhagwan, as well as to Jesus for making the team win.”
She added, "It doesn't matter where you take the trophy; religion is a personal choice.”
I don’t think there is anything wrong if you go to a temple or a church with a trophy. The trophy belongs to the entire nation, she said emphasizing that the trophy and the win belongs to India and not any specific religion.
She added that it should be seen as a moment of pride for India rather than through the lens of religion.
“I don't know why one needs to speak more about their thoughts over religion than about winning the trophy. You thank Allah, Thank Bhagwan, or thank Jesus for winning the trophy. You should in fact just also bow to God in gratitude that our Indian team has won the trophy yet again,” said Khushboo.
She added, “I don’t think there is anything wrong if you go to a temple or church with the trophy. When Sanju Samson won, he sat down and prayed by doing the cross sign on his heart. I respect him and bow to him. That reflects his thoughts as a cricketer.”
“When we won the trophy, our captain Surya Kumar took the soil from the ground and put it on his head. That may not be written in the Constitution, but it reflects our thoughts and emotions that states that as Indians, India come first.”
She further added, “Everybody can have their own religion. But the trophy that they have won is for India, for their country, for the nation, and that is the biggest thing.”
The politician further said, “If people want to argue that someone went to a temple, mosque or church with the trophy, I would say their thinking is very small. The trophy is for India. It is a matter of pride for the country that we have the trophy.”
For the uninitiated, India won the ICC men's T20 World Cup on the 8th of March at a thrilling match against New Zealand.
The match was held at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
–IANS
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