BJP Accuses TMC of Misusing Lionel Messi's Visit for Election Propaganda

As Kolkata picked up the pieces after the chaotic Lionel Messi event at Salt Lake stadium on Saturday, the OppositionBJP has accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC)of misusing the football icon for its election propaganda ahead of the next year’s Assembly polls in the state. Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday demanded acourt-monitored investigation, and arrest of TMC ministers Aroop Biswas and Sujit Bose. The party also demanded a refund of the “exorbitant” ticket prices, including a Rs 200 water bottle that was sold at the stadium. “The Trinamool Congress tried to forcefully use Messi for election propaganda, like ripening mangoes with carbide… They treated Messi as their personal property. Just months before elections, they tried to misuse people’s emotional attachment to football. We are ashamed. We appeal to turn the wave of condemnation that has been ongoing since yesterday into a movement of protest,” Adhikari said at a press conference, where he was accompanied byAll India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey.