Kolkata: Tripura’s ruling BJP authorities is pleased to have snagged celebrated cricketer Sourav Ganguly as its model ambassador, whereas the management in his state West Bengal believes the transfer is merely monetary and has no political implication.
Chatting with ThePrint, Trinamool Congress chief Sougata Roy mentioned the previous India skipper was a high endorser of manufacturers and the Tripura deal solely expanded that portfolio. Roy added: “One can’t see any political transfer in Ganguly being Tripura’s model ambassador. His endorsements fetch him crores of cash. This can too. He’s a well-liked face and has a lesser function in cricket and even lesser in politics.”
In the meantime, Bengal’s BJP unit lauded Tripura’s choice and derided state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for not choosing the “Maharaja of Bengal” as its personal face. State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar mentioned Wednesday that the Bengal authorities ought to no less than appoint Ganguly as Kolkata’s civic physique sheriff since that publish is vacant.
There was chatter up to now that Sourav Ganguly was being wooed by each the Trinamool Congress and the BJP. When he was not appointed BCCI president for a second time period, the Trinamool mentioned the BJP was making an attempt to “humiliate” Sourav for not becoming a member of the celebration.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha introduced Sourav’s appointment on Twitter, saying: “It’s a matter of nice satisfaction that former captain of Indian cricket group Shri Sourav Ganguly Ji has accepted our proposal to be the Model Ambassador of Tripura Tourism. Had a telephonic dialog with him in the present day. I’m assured that Shri Ganguly Ji’s participation will certainly give an impetus to the state’s tourism sector.”
On Wednesday, Tripura’s tourism minister Sushanta Chowdhury met Ganguly and put his authorities’s proposal on the desk. After the assembly, Ganguly advised the media in Kolkata that he was prepared for the function.
He added: “I’ll journey as and when required to Tripura and can push for the completion of the cricket stadium. BCCI pays a big sum for cricket stadiums.”
Chowdhury advised reporters that the state wanted a outstanding and fashionable persona together with correct branding to showcase it to the world. “Who might be a greater face than our beloved Dada,” he mentioned.
Final week, the West Bengal authorities upgraded Ganguly’s state safety from Y to Z after a recent evaluation. It’s the second-highest safety cowl which additionally protects the state’s ministers.
The choice was taken because the tenure of his present safety had lapsed. He now has eight to 10 police personnel guarding him from the earlier association that supplied three cops.
Ganguly’s final day trip with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was at a ceremony celebrating UNESCO’s “intangible heritage” tag for Durga Puja in 2022.
Banerjee additionally batted for Ganguly final yr when The Board of Management for Cricket in India (BCCI) didn’t ship his title for the publish of chairman of the Worldwide Cricket Council.
There was additionally hypothesis final Might about Ganguly’s “political ambitions” when Union Dwelling Minister Amit Shah had dinner at his place together with different BJP leaders.
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