Sourav Ganguly’s alleged removal as BCCI president seems to have taken political turn with the Trinamool Congress accusing the BJP of punishing the former Team India captain for not joining the saffron outfit.
Slamming the BJP for making the Bengal icon a victim of saffron politics TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that “before last year’s Assembly elections in Bengal the BJP tried to spread a message that Sourav Ganguly would join the party but after they (BJP) suffered a humiliating defeat and after Ganguly who is a star player but remains apolitical refused to join the politics he is being removed as the BCCI president.”
Questioning the BJP Government’s reported plans to infuse professionalism in the BCCI, Ghosh asked “is Jay Shah the son of Home Minister Amit Shah a cricketer … how many matches has Anurag Thakur or for that matter his brother who is being made a office bearer have played … Here it is clear that Ganguly was penalised because he refused to join the BJP.” He said by removing Sourav not only the game of cricket and the cricketing fraternity but the people of Bengal have been humiliated.
“The people will take account of this in future … they will definitely ask why Jay Shah was retained as the Secretary and Ganguly was removed … is it because during his tenure the Board functioned nearly blemish free…”
The BJP was quick to hit back even as national party vice president Dilip Ghosh said “Being the then president of the State party I never heard of any plans to include Ganguly in the BJP … I never heard that either Ganguly or the BJP had any political chemistry … rather as a party we always honoured and respected the great Indian player and captain … the people understand this and they will reject the TMC’s dirty game of politicising this episode.”
His party colleague Samik Bhattacharya said “the BJP --- the biggest party in the world --- has not fallen into so bad days they will have to bring in party members in this manner.”
Ashok Bhattacharya former Bengal Minister and CPI(M) leader who is known to be close to Ganguly said “I had once told him not to join politics because that will harm the interests of cricket … I hope he continues to serve cricket … he will continue to remain one of the greatest cricketing legends of the country.”