Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in India’s West Bengal state, has accused that India’s central ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to humiliate former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly as it failed to induct him into the party.
The Trinamool Congress made the allegation amid reports that Roger Binny, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team of India, is likely to replace Sourav Ganguly as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, according to NDTV.
Roger Binny on Tuesday filed his nomination for the post of BCCI President and is likely to get the top job unopposed when the board holds its annual general meeting on October 18 in Mumbai.
The BJP had tried to spread a message among people ahead of last year's assembly elections that Mr Ganguly, who is immensely popular in the state, would join the party, Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
The Trinamool said, “It is an example of political vendetta that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah's son Jay Shah can continue as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary for a second term but Mr Ganguly can't do so as its President.”
"We are not commenting directly on this matter. But since the BJP floated such propaganda during and after the polls, it will surely be the responsibility of the BJP to respond to such speculations (that politics is behind Mr Ganguly not getting a second term as BCCI chief). It seems the BJP is trying to humiliate Sourav," the Trinamool spokesperson said.
Referring to Amit Shah, the Trinamool state general secretary said "a senior BJP leader" went to the former Indian cricket team captain's house for dinner in May this year. "I think Sourav is the best person to explain the situation. If he has any political interpretation of the situation, I don't know how much he can articulate," Mr Ghosh said.
Extending support to Mr Ganguly, Trinamool MP Santanu Sen asked why the BCCI President would not get a second term.
BJP’s central vice-president Dilip Ghosh termed the allegations as "baseless".
"We don't know when the BJP tried to induct Sourav Ganguly into the party. Sourav Ganguly is a cricketing legend. Some people are now shedding crocodile tears about the changes in BCCI. Did they have any role when he took over as BCCI president? The Trinamool should stop politicising every issue," Mr Ghosh said.