BJP, Congress spar as amid 'traitor' jibes at Shah Rukh Khan over Bangladeshi player in KKR

New Delhi: The decision of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to include Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman in their squad has drawn widespread criticism of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Kan, one of the co-owners of the IPL franchise. On Friday, the issue snowballed into a political controversy the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress sparring over the issue.

The row started after the IPL 2026 auction, when KKR secured the services of Rahman for a staggering ₹9.20 crore. The move triggered a wave of nationalistic backlash against KKR and Shah Rukh Khan amid attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina regime. 

Hindu spiritual figure Devkinandan Thakur had slammed Shah Rukh Khan over selecting Rahman for KKR, with BJP leader Sangeet Som backing his stand on Thursday. Calling Shah Rukh Khan a traitor, Som accused the Bollywood star of investing in players "from a country working against India".

"Despite all this, traitors like Shah Rukh 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 Shah Rukh Khan that they will not succeed,” Som told the media.

What is the BJP's stand?

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam has also spoken out against Khan over the issue.

“When the entire country is enraged and angry at Bangladesh, anyone in India who has even the slightest connection to Bangladeshis could become a target of that anger. If there is a Bangladeshi in Shah Rukh Khan's team, before he becomes a major target, we request that Shah Rukh Khan remove the Bangladeshi from his team,” he told news agency ANI.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also echoed similar sentiments.

"Bangladeshi players shouldn't be allowed to play on Indian soil in the IPL. Pakistani and Bangladeshi players should be prohibited. They harbour hatred towards us for the murder of our Hindu brothers and sisters.. Shah Rukh Khan should immediately remove that Bangladeshi cricketer from his team. If he doesn't do this even after all this uproar, it will prove that, while he lives in this country and earns money here, he doesn't understand this nation's sentiments," Dubey was quoted as saying by ANI.

What has the Congress said?

However, Congress MP Manickam Tagore has backed Khan on the issue.

“Hate cannot define nationalism. RSS must stop poisoning society," the Congress leader said.

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate also supported Khan on the issue and hit out at the BJP and the BCCI. 

“I want to ask who put the Bangladeshi players in that pool. This question is for the BCCI and the ICC. Home minister's son, Jay Shah, should answer who put the Bangladeshi players in the pool where IPL players are bought and sold, the pool where the players' auction takes place. He is the ICC's chief and the main decision-maker in cricket all around the world,” she said.