WEST Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Aroop Biswas’s resignation as the Sports Minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi’s event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said. Biswas, who had written to the Chief Minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as Sports Minister, will continue as a Cabinet Minister, retaining charge of the power department. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “Biswas’s resignation had been accepted, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will oversee the Sports and Youth Welfare portfolio.”

 

The acceptance of Biswas’s resignation marks a significant political and administrative development following the hue and cry over the chaos that unfolded after Messi’s brief appearance at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, popularly known as the Salt Lake Stadium, on December 13. Angry spectators, upset over alleged mismanagement, crowd control failures and security lapses, resorted to vandalism inside the stadium after the Argentine star exited the field, causing damage to property estimated by officials at around Rs 2 crore.

 

Biswas had written to the chief minister on Monday, seeking relief from the sports portfolio, citing the need for a “neutral” and unhindered probe into the incident. Even after the acceptance of his resignation from that post, he remains part of the state cabinet, sources said.