RSS-affiliate run campaign to prevent Oppo from sponsoring Indian cricket team

After Oppo tied up with BCCI as the sponsors of Indian cricket team, RSS affiliates Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) have come out in protest. Oppo, a mobile company based in China, overtook Vivo mobiles in the battle of bids. Vivo had proposed INR 768 crore, and Oppo’s INR 1079 Crore bid beat that by a large margin. As per the deal, all the India cricket team members (both men’s and women’s) will wear jerseys with Oppo’s logo on it. The company also earns the tag of the ‘official sponsor of the Indian cricket team’, which they can use for their own promotions. Citing the reason of ‘trade imbalance’ due to the popularity of Chinese products in Indian market, SJM have started their campaign where they are collecting signature in support of their agenda. They are also known to have spoken to Vijat Goel, Sports Minister of India, for his intervention regarding the matter. READ: BCCI announces OPPO as Indian cricket team’s new sponsor

Talking to The Indian Express, SJM co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan revealed, “We have already collected 3 crore signatures. When this is the public sentiment against Chinese companies, how can one such company sponsor the cricket team and cash in on its popularity.”

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“China is a big challenge for us in terms of the trade imbalance, the loss of employment because of Chinese imports is a big problem. On the other hand it (China) is a threat to national security. In such a situation it is unfortunate that a Chinese brand has won the sponsorship deal of the Indian cricket team. We have sought time from the sports minister to seek government intervention in the matter,” Mahajan concluded.