Kolkata, 13 December (H.S.): Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday over the mismanagement at the Salt Lake Stadium. He termed it a TMC circus of loot, demanding the Chief Minister's resignation and stating that the incident has tarnished West Bengal's image on the global stage.
Suvendu Adhikari wrote in strong words on the social media platform X that the spectacle witnessed in Kolkata today was utterly shameful. He said that Bengali football fans, who had spent thousands of rupees dreaming of catching a glimpse of the great Lionel Messi, were treated like second-class citizens in their own state. He alleged that while Sports Minister Arup Biswas, Fire Minister Sujit Bose, and over 100 of their VIP associates were milling around Messi, the real fans were seated in the galleries and only got to see him on the big screen for a mere 5-7 minutes. They didn't even get a direct view of the field, which he called a great betrayal.
The Leader of Opposition also alleged that carrying water bottles inside the stadium was prohibited, and agitated fans had to pay ₹200 for a bottle that normally costs ₹20. Suvendu termed this a classic TMC extortion racket and said that these so-called leaders turned a sporting icon's visit into their personal photo session and profit bonanza.
Suvendu Adhikari said that this is not just mismanagement, but a criminal assault on the pride of West Bengal and a betrayal of our passionate football lovers. He said that enough is enough and, as the Leader of the Opposition, he has three main demands.
His first demand is that every gallery ticket holder should be given a 100% refund, and every penny that was looted should be returned. In their second demand, they called for the immediate arrest of Sports Minister Arup Biswas, Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose, and the alleged organizer Shatadru Dutta for government-sponsored anarchy, looting, and disorder. In their third and most significant demand, they stated that Mamata Banerjee should resign for dragging the name of West Bengal through the mud on the global stage and should step down before completely destroying the soul of the state.
Finally, Suvendu mocked the Khela Hobe slogan, saying that those who took selfies with Messi for the Khela Hobe campaign before the elections have now been shown the real game by the cheated spectators, and their corrupt circus has been exposed to the entire world. Addressing Mamata Banerjee, he wrote, Shame on you, Mamata Banerjee!
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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey
