Such a huge disgrace in the heart of Kolkata will remain etched in the pages of history forever! Purely for political reasons, an internationally renowned player like Lionel Messi was brought to Kolkata after the installation of a bizarre 70-foot statue of him. People were then misled into purchasing tickets priced between Rs.8,000 and Rs.10,000 and were brought to the venue.

Due to extremely poor management, Messi was not even allowed to stay for the programme and was taken away. As a result, nothing occurred except a major scam. In anger, people poured onto the stadium grounds, vandalising chairs and tearing down posters. By God’s grace, no major tragedy occurred. For bringing an international player like Messi to West Bengal, playing with the emotions of ordinary people, and pushing them towards such serious risk, the State Sports Minister, Aroop Biswas, must resign immediately.

~ Amit Malviya, Member, National Executive, BJP

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