1 April 2013-World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga blasted Tamil Nadu politicians on Sunday for their calls to keep Sri Lankan players out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in Chennai.
Speaking to NDTV, the former Sri Lankan cricketer said while he believes sports and politics should be kept separate, it is not the case in reality. “Politics and sports should be kept separate. It has been for the last so many years. But it happens every time India goes into general elections, this is the way Tamil Nadu politicians have been behaving. They are more keen on getting extra votes, try to fool the public. They should not drag sports into their political benefits. (But) that is what is happening today in south India,” he said.
There have been protests all over Tamil Nadu for days now, with all major political parties and students demanding that the Centre take a strong stand against Sri Lanka for its alleged war crimes in the final months of the civil war that ended when defence forces crushed the separatist Tamil Tigers in May 2009.
