The relocation of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament triggered a bitter political dogfight on Monday as the country's ruling Congress party lashed out at opposition leaders for branding the championship’s loss a national shame.

Riled by accusations that political bungling had sullied India's international standing, the Congress party issued a stinging rebuke to Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, for his state’s record of inter-communal rioting. The Bharatiya Janata party leader had earlier blamed the government for pandering to terrorists by forcing the Twenty20 cricket competition abroad on security concerns.