NEW DELHI: Political tensions between India and Bangladesh spilled into the cricket field after Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan recently inducted Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman into his Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders and a Hindutva politician called him a traitor, reports said on Friday.

According to the Hindustan Times, opposition Congress party on Thursday condemned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som’s criticism of Shahrukh for inducting Mustafizur in his franchise.

A former Uttar Pradesh MLA, Som targeted Shahrukh and called him a “gaddar” (traitor) for backing the decision.

This is not unusual for the popular actor, who happens to be a Muslim. In fact, the Muslim movie star triumvirate of Sharukh, Salman Khan and Amir Khan have all faced allegations that they were anti-Hindu, pro-Pakistan or whatever else BJP supporters choose to call them.

Even the late acting legend Dilip Kumar was also not spared.

The Mustafizur controversy erupted following the IPL 2026 auction, where KKR secured “The Fizz” for a staggering Rs92 million.

While the move was seen as a tactical masterstroke by cricket analysts, it also waded into a nationalistic backlash underway amid diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh.

The controversy over Mustafizur being in Shahrukh’s team is nicely timed with domestic election season in West Bengal where the BJP is threatening to topple secular Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in polls due by mid-year.

Mustafizur’s selection to play for KKR has come amid allegations mostly by the Indian right-wing over attacks on Hindus.

While calling Shahrukh a traitor, Som questioned him for investing money in a player “from a country working against India”.

The Hindustan Times quoted from a video clip of him as saying: “The way Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh, women and girls are being raped, their homes are being burned, and anti-India slogans are being chanted there.

“Despite all this, traitors like Shahrukh Khan, I’m calling him a traitor because everything he has is given by India, given by the people of India, but where do they invest this money? They invest it in players from a country that is working against India. I want to tell people like Shahrukh that they will not succeed.”

Congress MP Manickam Tagore, strongly condemning the ‘traitor’ remarks, called the comments an “attack on India’s pluralism” while saying that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) should stop “poisoning society”.

But Som was adamant. “Rahman won’t be able to step outside the airport,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2026