What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Days after Sourav Ganguly’s fate as BCCI president was sealed, in a rather unforeseen turn of events, the Bengal Chief minister seized the opportunity to urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ contest elections for the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Days after Sourav Ganguly’s fate as BCCI president was sealed, in a rather unforeseen turn of events, the West Bengal Chief minister seized the opportunity to urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ contest elections for the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Reacting to the latest development, speaking to The New Indian, the spokesperson of the BJP’s Bengal unit, Shamik Bhattacharya, said, “Whatever CM is doing, it is serving as an example of provincial politics. Mamata Banerjee is playing a partition role in the BCCI president’s issue. If she favours Saurav Ganguly this much and thinks Ganguly is the pride of Bengal, why has she made Shahrukh Khan the brand ambassador of this state?”
“We are not accepting this kind of approach from Mamata Banerjee. We do not accept any kind of controversy or any kind of political debate over this issue,” he said.
Earlier in the day, CM Banerjee said, “Sourav Ganguly is not only the pride of Bengal but also of the entire nation. He has led the cricket team and BCCI with the utmost dedication and responsibility.”
“Sourav Ganguly and Amit Shah’s son, Jay Shah, were given a three-year extension each, but for reasons not yet known, Jay Shah is continuing as the BCCI general secretary while Sourav Ganguly has been removed from the position,” she added, hinting at a political gameplan behind the removal of the former Indian skipper.
“We don’t have any problem with Jay Shah continuing at the BCCI. He is not a BJP member. If he does good work, I will support him, but if he doesn’t, we will question him. Our grievance is that Sourav Ganguly was let go by the BCCI. We want to know in whose order it was done. We believe that there’s been an injustice done to Ganguly,” she said.
CM Banerjee also urged PM Modi to allow Sourav to run for the ICC post.
“The only compensation for the move should be that Sourav Ganguly is allowed to contest the International Cricket Council Chairman’s elections. …this is my humble request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow Sourav (Ganguly) to run for the ICC post. He is a national treasure, and his removal from the BCCI president’s post is unjustifiable. Please consider this matter in light of the future of sports in our country,” said Banerjee.
“Every country that has played cricket knows about him, and it is a matter of shock and shame that he was ousted from the BCCI unceremoniously. I once again, request the government to not act vindictively and take the decision based on the betterment of cricket and sports,” says CM.
CM Banerjee’s most recent remarks had undoubtedly raised eyebrows, and Ganguly’s political ambitions were always a source of speculation. While at one point in time, the southpaw was considered close to Didi. However, ahead of the Bengal elections last year, Ganguly was speculated to be the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s a possible candidate for the chief minister’s chair.
With the turf battle between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) spicing up the Bengal battleground ahead of panchayat elections as well as the 2024 General Elections, Didi batting for Ganguly has surely raised eyebrows with more twists and turns expected in Bengal politics.
