New Delhi: People in West Bengal are said to be passionate largely about two things, sports and culture. It seems that both have played their parts in the state government’s desperate attempts at containing a messy episode, barely months before the Assembly election.
Lionel Messi’s Kolkata fiasco has become more than a sporting embarrassment. It is now a political flashpoint, where Mamata Banerjee’s desperate damage control reflects the high stakes of the upcoming polls.
While Messi’s Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi events showcased India’s organisational capacity, Kolkata’s chaos exposed governance lapses that the Opposition is exploiting. Thus, Bengalis’ passion for sports and culture in the state’s charged political climate can turn the fiasco into a referendum on leadership.
Mamata Banerjee’s government, as well as the Trinamool Congress party she leads, have been experiencing multiple challenges. From state ministers to district-level leaders involved in intra-party power struggles, from squabbling Parliamentarians to “cut”-making functionaries, have all been embarrassing the Trinamool.
Meanwhile, heinous crimes, including the rape and murder of an intern at the R. G. Kar Hospital and the teacher recruitment scam, among other issues, have been rocking the government. At Salt Lake Stadium on December 13, thousands of fans who had paid steep ticket prices failed to catch a glimpse of the football legend, blocked by a crowd of VIPs. Frustration boiled over into vandalism, bottle-throwing, and attempted breaches of security.
Messi, visibly uncomfortable, left the venue after barely 10 minutes. For a city that had long awaited his arrival, the disappointment was profound. The fallout was immediate. Opposition parties, especially the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accused Mamata Banerjee’s government and the Trinamool party of “criminal mismanagement”. Social media erupted with videos of chaos, amplifying the embarrassment nationwide.
Banerjee herself issued an unconditional apology. She expressed her shock at the mismanagement and apologised to the superstar and his fans. She announced a judicial inquiry headed by a retired Justice to determine responsibility and prevent future lapses.
On Tuesday, December 16, the state’s director-general of police and the Bidhannagar (venue of the episode) police commissioner were both served with show-cause notices, while the Bidhannagar deputy commissioner of police was suspended in the Messi mess fallout. A special investigation team (SIT) was also set up to probe the incident at the recommendation of the inquiry committee investigating the vandalism.
While her apology had sparked fresh backlash, with many Kolkatans alleging it was lip service, the government’s latest moves are being called as another attempt at cover-up by Mamata’s critics. The timing could not be worse, where the Trinamool is eyeing a fourth consecutive term in office after next year’s election, despite the rising challenge from the state’s principal Opposition BJP.
The Messi fiasco plays directly into the Opposition’s narratives, who are calling out the government for allegedly marking its administration with mismanagement, elitism, and disregard for ordinary citizens.
The BJP has already framed the incident as symbolic of broader failures in law and order and public services. People who returned dejected from the stadium, those who are part of the urban middle-class voters, those who idolise Messi and paid heavily for the tickets, may feel betrayed. This demographic is crucial in Kolkata and its suburbs, where the BJP hopes to make gains.
(IANS)
