Political parties slam ‘mismanagement’ as Lionel Messi’s Kolkata visit ends in chaos; CPI(M) calls it ‘black day’

BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya alleged that “some fraudsters, in their greed to mint money, created this situation.”Stating that the entire responsibility for this mess lies with the state government, he alleged that TMC leaders indulged “greedy organisers, who were busy with self publicity, depriving people, who bought tickets, to have a proper view of the football icon.”Bhattacharya said that the incident tarnished the image of the state.Union minister and senior BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar slammed the TMC and the state administration for the chaos.Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari alleged that ministers and leaders “clung to Messi like leeches”, while football fans who paid thousands of rupees were left watching him on the giant screen for barely a few minutes.In a post on X, Adhikari accused Sports Minister Arup Biswas, Fire Minister Sujit Basu and the organisers of turning the event into a “money-making exercise.”He also demanded a 100 per cent refund for gallery ticket-holders, arrest of those responsible, and sought Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation for “discrediting West Bengal before the world.”The Congress also attacked the TMC government, with West Bengal state president Subhankar Sarkar describing the episode as “terrible mismanagement and a mockery of law and order.”He alleged that in the name of Messi, tickets were sold at exorbitant prices to innocent fans, while the footballer was surrounded only by TMC leaders and members of their families.”Crores of public money were spent so that TMC leaders could get photographs clicked with Messi. This is a new-age scam after Sarada and Narada,” Sarkar alleged, demanding personal accountability of the organiser, and police and sports ministers and the local MLA.Congress spokesperson Suman Roy Chaudhuri echoed similar sentiments, demanding the arrest of the sports minister and questioning the role of the police administration.He alleged that the episode exposed the “commercial face” of the government and called for legal action over the mess.CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty termed the mismanagement a “black day” for West Bengal, blaming the TMC government for failure of law and order.Drawing a contrast with the visits of football legend Diego Maradona during the Left Front regime, Chakraborty alleged that the government was more focused on making money in Messi’s name than ensuring spectators’ safety and experience.



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