Amplifying Anti-Gujarat Sentiment? Mamata Banerjee Says India Would Have Clinched World Cup If Final Was Played In Kolkata Or Mumbai

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (23 November) said that India would have won the ICC World Cup if the final match had been played at Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata or Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Notably, the final was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad between India and Australia, where India lost. Post the loss, many netizens blamed the audience for not cheering up the team 'enough' and alleged that this would not have happened in cities with sporting culture, unlike Gujarat.

The blame game spilled from the audience to Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, who was one of the attendees of the final match. After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called Modi 'panauti' (unlucky), Banerjee too reiterated this sentiment.

She commented that the Indian cricket team was victorious in all games in the 2023 ICC World Cup, with the exception of the match attended by "sinners". While she did not specify who is the "sinner" but it is evident that she referred to PM Modi.

The news agency PTI quoted her further, saying, "The players objected, hence the Indian team was not required to don the saffron jersey during games." She targeted the BJP, stating, "Saffron is the hue of 'tyagis', but you are 'bhogis'."

Significantly, the color saffron is often linked with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She had earlier criticised the BJP over the saffron colour of the Indian cricket team's practice kit.

Banerjee criticised the central government for the nation's current economic condition. She pointed out that the banking sector is in a dire state, public sector units are being sold off, and the unemployment rate is exceedingly high.

She confronted the BJP regarding the accusations of cow smuggling into Bangladesh via West Bengal. She questioned, "Cows intended for smuggling to Bangladesh are sourced from various states, including UP. Who is profiting from this?"

Banerjee stated that West Bengal is rapidly developing into an investment hub. She noted that all major IT corporations are channeling their investments into Kolkata's 'Silicon Valley' project.