"Power-Hungry politics brought shame": BJP's Dilip Ghosh slams TMC over Messi event chaos

West Medinipur (West Bengal) [India], December 16 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) following chaos during football star Lionel Messi's event at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
This comes after Messi's appearance at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Saturday descended into chaos as fans expressed extreme frustration with the crowd and their inability to catch a glimpse of him.
Speaking in West Medinipur, Ghosh said to ANI, "There is complete chaos in Kolkata and West Bengal at present. The ruling party here is the main cause of these issues."
The BJP leader further claimed that "anti-social and anti-national elements" had gained control within the TMC, accusing them of politicising even high-profile global events. According to Ghosh, the incident at the Salt Lake Stadium had brought "shame" to the state.
"Their sole aim is to make money and hold power; they politicise everything. Even such a significant international event has been tainted by this, bringing shame upon us, all due to politics and the power-hungry mentality of certain leaders," Ghosh said.
Ghosh added that there would be no improvement in the situation as long as the current government remains in power.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal and Nandigram MLA Suvendu Adhikari on Monday questioned the arrest of spectators following the incident at Yuva Bharati Stadium, alleging police high-handedness and political shielding of ministers.
He said the BJP leader has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a stay on arrests and the FIR, while also targeting the state government over alleged mismanagement, profiteering, and selective action.
"Why are spectators being arrested? You have played with the emotions of the youth," Adhikari said, adding that he had approached the Calcutta High Court earlier in the day. "Through my lawyer, I requested the Hon'ble Judge during the hearing that the arrests must be stopped and a stay be imposed on the FIR. Arresting people is a grave mistake," he said.
Adhikari also took a swipe at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that she had attempted to make Messi say 'Khela Hobe'. "Instead, the game has turned against them," he remarked.
Meanwhile, Retired Calcutta High Court judge Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, who is heading the inquiry committee formed by the Bengal government to investigate the chaos during the GOAT India Tour of Argentina's football icon Lionel Messi at Salt Lake Stadium, visited the stadium on Sunday. He said that the committee would submit the report as soon as possible.
Earlier, the promoter and organiser of football star Lionel Messi's GOAT India Tour 2025, Satadru Dutta, was sent to 14 days of police custody.
Messi's Kolkata leg of the GOAT Tour descended into chaos on Saturday as fans who paid high ticket prices at Salt Lake Stadium's event began throwing bottles and attempting to break the gates between the stands after the Argentine legend left early.
Angry fans resorted to vandalism at the Kolkata stadium, alleging poor event management and criticising VIPs and politicians for hogging the football icon's attention and time to the extent that fans did not even get a glimpse of Messi.
The situation escalated when angry fans attempted to enter the ground to vandalise the tent and the goal post. To control the situation, police personnel used mild force to disperse the angry crowd from the ground.
Meanwhile, New Delhi hosted the grand finale of Lionel Messi's "G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025", bringing the historic four-city tour to a smooth and successful closure amid immense fan enthusiasm.
Messi arrived in the national capital on December 15, following engagements in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai, and the Delhi leg culminated the tour. (ANI)