'Mamata Banerjee's Mentality Is...': BJP Slams Bengal CM For 'WC Final At Eden Gardens' Comment

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that if the match had been played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata or Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the Indian team would have won the ICC World Cup.

File Photo Of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Source : PTI Images

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's recent comments on the ICC World Cup final have sparked criticism from BJP leaders. BJP General Secretary and MLA Agnimitra Paul on Thursday said that Banerjee's remarks amount to "petty politics". He highlighted the Indian team's impressive record of winning ten consecutive matches and criticized Banerjee for questioning the team's efforts.

"It is very unfortunate. This kind of petty politics can be expected from leaders like Mamata Banerjee or Rahul Gandhi. She has insulted the efforts of our Indian team which has won the last 10 matches consecutively without a single defeat. What about their efforts? It is only because of the stadium... but she is forgetting that she was also a part of the same party, Congress. ..Now she is talking about the saffron colour, the stadium. The people of West Bengal are suffering because of you. Your family heads sports institutions in West Bengal, what qualifications do they have to lead a sports association? And what results have you got for West Bengal in the last 12 years? So, stop doing such petty politics," she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: On CM Mamata Banerjee's statement regarding the final match of ICC World Cup, BJP General Secretary and MLA Agnimitra Paul says, "It is very unfortunate. This kind of petty politics can be expected from leaders like Mamata Banerjee or Rahul Gandhi.… https://t.co/iEwRzngTvo pic.twitter.com/8xhkFtCckK

— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

Similarly, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused Banerjee of indulging in "dirty politics" and criticised her for attempting to divide the game along political and regional lines. He defended the team's performance and questioned Banerjee's focus on the venue and the colour of the jerseys.

"I am very sad that Mamata Banerjee is doing dirty politics. Our players performed their best and won ten out of eleven matches and this is not an election, this is a game... Now dividing it in the name of parties, dividing it in the name of states, the mentality of Mamata Banerjee is that the people of Gujarat are bad because the match was played there....she is saying that we lost because of wearing saffron colour, saffron colour is also in our flag, now you will remove the colour from the flag of India also?" ANI quoted him as saying. 

#WATCH | On CM Mamata Banerjee's statement regarding the final match of the ICC World Cup, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa says, "I am very sad that Mamata Banerjee is doing dirty politics. Our players performed their best and won ten out of eleven matches and this is not an… https://t.co/iEwRzngTvo pic.twitter.com/kictB6TFLx

— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

Banerjee's comments were made during an address to party workers at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, where she claimed that the Indian team would have won if the final match had been held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata or Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. She alleged attempts to "saffronise" the cricket team and criticised the introduction of saffron practice jerseys.

If the (ICC Cricket World Cup) final match had been played at Eden Gardens stadium (Kolkata) or Wankhede stadium (Mumbai), we would have won the match: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee pic.twitter.com/YoSCcpDCM3

— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

The ICC World Cup final, in which India lost to Australia, took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.