West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday called upon sports minister Indranil Khan to ensure that representatives from the state become part of the national football team.
He said that around 33,000 young football fans were deprived of the opportunity to see the Argentine star despite paying high ticket prices.
Addressing a programme to mark National Sports Day in Kolkata, Adhikari referred to the Lionel Messi event at Salt Lake Stadium on December 13 last year, describing the episode as a “big scandal”. “I have started an internal process to give an international feel to football lovers,” he said, without elaborating.
Adhikari said his government had earmarked ₹ 400 crore for sports in the budget and would spend more. He said the BJP government would introduce indoor stadiums in all 294 Assembly constituencies, with each facility to be named after Sri Aurobindo.
“We are here for only 110 days,” he said, apparently referring to the tenure of his government. Adhikari said the files of budding sportspersons who received appointment letters and cheques at the event had allegedly remained pending in the Chief Minister’s Office for years during the previous government. Lamenting the alleged lack of support, inspiration, and initiative from previous governments, he said that appointment letters and financial assistance would motivate young talent to bring laurels to the country at international competitions.
