RSS affiliate seeks Sports Ministry's intervention for annulment of BCCI's contract with Oppo

An affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) insisted on the sports ministry’s intervention to scrap the sponsorship deal between Chinese mobile firm Oppo and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, which recently kicked off a campaign to push for indigenous production and consumption of Indian goods, also wanted India to reduce its dependence on Chinese exports.

As a result, the SJM proclaimed that members of the Indian cricket team should not wear the new jersey which bears Oppo’s logo. The Chinese mobile firm signed a five-year deal with the BCCI worth a whopping Rs. 1,079 crore. The contract was announced by the BCCI on March 7 and was scheduled to be commenced on April 1. The Indian cricket team is set to don the brand new jersey in the upcoming Champions Trophy which kicks off on June 1.

However, SJM’s national co-convener Ashwani Mahajan wrote a scathing letter which emphasised on repealing Chinese products. “This would not only misguide our youth in blindly going for buying Chinese brands but would also place us in a very awkward position and our campaign is likely to get badly affected by this,” Mahajan said in the letter.

“Cricket is the most popular sport in India and the Indian team is being watched by almost the entire country. Therefore the team should not wear the Chinese firm’s logo,” he added. “Chinese goods have invaded Indian markets which is not only killing our domestic production but also has direct negative impact on employment generation efforts made by the government,” Mahajan said,

To add to Mahajan’s remark of Chinese goods taking the shape of an “epidemic”, the SJM urged the Modi government to shun Chinese goods and also enact a “Buy Indian Act”.

In his letter to Sports Minister Vijay Goel, he added, “Money cannot be more important than national pride and welfare of our own citizens and industry and therefore we urge you to interfere in the matter and use your good offices to cancel the agreement entered into between Oppo and BCCI.”

The Sports Ministry hasn’t responded to the SJM’s letter yet.

Indian team’s previous sponsor Star have already terminated their contract with the BCCI following the India-Australia Test series. Oppo is set to take over on the blue jersey when the Champions Trophy begins in the UK. The Chinese mobile firm made a bid worth almost five times that of Star’s contract with the BCCI.