West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah during the historic pink-ball day/night cricket test match between Indian and Bangladesh, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Friday, Nov. 22, 2019. (PTI Photo/Ashok Bhaumik/File)West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday called Sourav Ganguly not getting support from BCCI for the ICC’s chief election, a shameless political vendetta.
“Why was he not sent to ICC? It is to secure someone’s interest (in the cricket board). I had spoken to various BJP leaders, but he was not allowed. He has been deprived…. This is a shameful political vendetta,” she said.
Banerjee said she would have spoken out on the issue even if master batsman Sachin Tendulkar was similarly deprived.
Earlier on Monday, Banerjee expressed her shock at Ganguly not getting renominated for the post of the BCCI president, but Jay Shah being allowed a second term as secretary. She stated that she will request Prime minister Narendra Modi to allow the former Indian skipper to contest for ICC president.
On Monday, Banerjee went to North Bengal for a four-day tour. After landing at Bagdogra airport, the chief minister said, “Sourav is our pride and he played well and also did well as administrator. He was given responsibility of board president for three years and he served that role very well. We do not know why then after completing term, he was removed and son of Amitbabu (Son of Amit Shah, Jay Shah) remained there. We have no problem with him remaining as secretary of the BCCI but we want to know why Sourav was removed as BCCI president.”
She further said, “This is my humble regards and request to the Prime Minister to allow him to contest in ICC. He is being deprived. What is his fault?”
Roger Binny, a 1983 World Cup-winning squad member, has been elected as the 36th president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), taking over from Ganguly. However, the sports body’s AGM on Tuesday concluded without discussing the ICC election.
(With inputs from PTI)