Union Sports Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday reacted to Indian boxer Narender Berwal’s light-hearted anecdote about a Pakistani opponent who, according to the boxer, had told him that he had begun to “hate” the name “Narendra”.
“Narendra naam ka khauf hai Pakistan mein,” Mandaviya wrote in a post on ‘X’ in Hindi, meaning, “The name ‘Narendra’ is feared in Pakistan”. He was referring to the anecdote shared by Berwal during his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi .
नरेन्द्र नाम का खौफ है पाकिस्तान में… pic.twitter.com/h4Kk0AxPqp
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) August 10, 2026
Accompanying the post was a video of the boxer’s interaction with the Prime Minister at the latter’s residence
at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi.
Narender Berwal, who clinched a silver medal in the men’s 90kg boxing category at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, was among the Indian medal winners who met PM Modi on Sunday, August 9.
What Berwal Told PM Modi About His Pakistan Visit
During the conversation, Narender Berwal shared a light-hearted story from his Pakistan visit, which grabbed attention on social media for all the right reasons. Speaking to PM Modi, he said that after he defeated the Pakistani opponent, the two went to hospital for treatment after suffering injuries.
According to Berwal, the Pakistan boxer then pointed out that his name was Narender, his coach’s name was also Narender, and even India’s Prime Minister’s name was also Narendra.
The anecdote that drew chuckles from PM Modi doesn’t end here.
Berwal said the opponent jokingly told him that he had started “hating” the name “Narendra”. “Bhai jaan… Mujhe Narendra naam se nafrat ho gayi hai,” Berwal quoted the Pakistani boxer as saying, “Brother, I have begun hating the name ‘Narendra’!”
India has bagged seven gold and three silver medals in boxing, its best-ever haul in the sport at a Commonwealth Games. Moreover, India is set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
