A "Saffron" Twist To Messi Chaos As Mamata Banerjee's Party Targets BJP

Amid the political blame game over the chaos and vandalism during legendary footballer Lionel Messi's trip to Kolkata, the ruling Trinamool Congress has questioned if the unfortunate events at the Salt Lake stadium were "pre-planned". The party has also questioned why some people carried saffron flags to the event.

"Whatever happened is very unfortunate. This should not have happened. Fans were upset because Messi was surrounded, and they could not even catch a glimpse of him. This was not a state government programme. It was the responsibility of the private organiser to make sure proper arrangements were made," Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh told news agency ANI.

Ghosh said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has apologised to Messi as well as sports lovers for the disappointing scenes at the stadium yesterday. "A committee has also been constituted under the leadership of a retired judge. But why were some people there chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' with a saffron flag?. Why were they misusing the emotions of football fans, and were they involved in vandalism? Was this pre-planned?" Ghosh asked.

Trinamool spokesperson Riju Dutta, too, brought up the saffron flag question. "What's the correlation between 'Messi' & 'Ram'?? A pre-planned conspiracy to defame Bengal was executed perfectly! A Bangladesh-like scene was witnessed in Salt Lake Stadium during the #GOATIndiaTour of #LionelMessiInKolkata," he said.

He claimed that the vandals were not football lovers or Messi fans, but a mob that raised 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans, waved a saffron flag and destroyed the stadium just to "defame Bengal".

The Kolkata leg of Messi's GOAT India tour made headlines for the wrong reasons after fans threw bottles and vandalised stadium property to protest the short appearance of the football legend. The fans, who had bought tickets for the event at exorbitant prices, complained that they could not even see Messi properly because politicians and the event's organisers surrounded him. After Messi left, some of the angry fans tried to enter the ground, and police had to use mild force to bring the situation under control.

The Trinamool Congress came under fire because its leaders were seen talking to and taking pictures with Messi as the fans in the stands tried to catch a glimpse of their idol.

Chief Minister Banerjee said she is "deeply disturbed and shocked" by the mismanagement. "I was on my way to the stadium to attend the event along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer, Lionel Messi. I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident," she said on X.

While the Trinamool says it was not a state government event, the BJP has blamed the ruling party for the chaos. "Today, the TMC has become a symbol of complete mismanagement and chaos. A great player like Messi came to India, and his entire event at the Kolkata stadium was ruined. The TMC is entirely responsible for this. The administration, police, and security were nowhere to be seen. I have been told that tickets were even being sold on the black market. If a stampede like the one in Bengaluru had occurred there, who would have been responsible?" he said.