Thanking Argentine soccer star Leonel Messi for his contribution to the game of football Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who earlier received a jersey signed by the iconic footballer, has described him as an “artist with the ball.”
The jersey symbolises the unbreakable connection between Bengal and football Banerjee said adding “the love for football binds us all, and Messi, an artist with the ball, a maestro of our times, embodies the spirit of brilliance that Bengal admires. This jersey is a symbol of the unbreakable connection between Bengal and the beautiful game.”
Describing her love for the game wrote on the X how “football is a passion that runs through my veins, much like every person in Bengal who has ever kicked a ball on the ‘para’ fields. Today, that
passion found a special place as I received a jersey signed by none other than
Lionel Messi.”
Incidentally Banerjee had before the 2021 Assembly elections given a call for “Khela Hobe” (there will be a game) by kicking a football at her supporters. She eventually won the elections. This year too she has given a call for Khela Hobe.
Receiving the jersey from football star tends to bring Banerjee on the same line with one of her predecessors and former Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu whom another top footballer Diego Maradona called a “friend.” Maradona had come all the way to Kolkata in 2008 to meet Basu.
He then told Basu then a nonagenarian who had retired from active politics, “You have seen Fiedel Castro closely whom I hold in high esteem and in that respect I too consider you close to me.”
Meanwhile in a parallel development Banerjee on Thursday attacked the State Opposition for trying to tarnish her reputation and demeaning Bengal and India by making derisive remarks on her visit to London where she is scheduled to deliver a lecture on Friday.
Saying that the Opposition leaders were jealous of her Banerjee said that minimum courtesy was always expected despite political differences.
Accusing the opposition leaders guilty of jealousy towards her she said, “you can have no medicine for jealousy. The members of the opposition have been trying to malign me over my upcoming visit to London. But by maligning me ahead of my foreign visit, they are damaging the country’s image.”
The controversy was regarding a misconception over her alleged visit and lecture at Oxford University which eventually came out to be not true as per social media reports. Sources said quoting an RTI activist that the Chief Minister was scheduled to deliver a lecture not at the invitation of the University but a college affiliated to the said university.
