<p>The vandalism unleashed by angry football fans at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata on Saturday morning had turned into a political slugfest in West Bengal by evening, even as fans said they felt cheated.</p><p>While both the BJP and <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/congress">Congress </a>alleged mismanagement by the Trinamool Congress government, the ruling camp alleged that the entire chaos was precipitated by the saffron party.</p><p>Bengal BJP chief Suvendu Adhikari, besides writing to the Governor, alleged that fans were cheated on multiple fronts, including having to buy water bottles for Rs 200 because water from outside was not allowed. He said in a post on X, using the TMC’s oft-quoted poll slogan, that the “Khela Hobe” circus had turned into “a TMC loot-fest”.</p> .BJP's Suvendu Adhikari urges West Bengal Governor to order independent judicial inquiry into Messi event fiasco.<p>The BJP leader also demanded a 100% refund for every gallery ticket holder, the immediate arrest of the sports minister, fire minister and the organiser, and finally, Banerjee’s resignation.</p><p>Meanwhile, the TMC, on its official X account, shared a video that purported to show some Salt Lake stadium vandals shouting “Jai Shri Ram” and waving saffron flags. It alleged that the “sudden unrest” at the stadium raised “serious concerns, particularly in light of visuals” of “BJP-backed elements carrying saffron flags and raising provocative slogans, apparently attempting to create disorder and malign Bengal’s image”.</p><p>Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose was on Saturday evening "denied" entry into the stadium.</p><p>Bose described the denial of entry as an affront to the constitutional position of the Governor, and sought a reply from the authorities.</p> .<p>A Bengaluru-based IT professional, who had booked tickets well in advance and travelled all the way to Kolkata, despite being caught up in the IndiGo flight-cancellation fiasco, expressed disappointment with the event’s management.</p><p>“Today’s event shows the state of governance in the state. Every good thing is available to politicians and their bootlickers first. The common man was waiting for a glimpse from the stands,” he told DH.</p> .<p>Another fan, who attended the event with his family, rued the way the event went down, but thanked his stars that he had left before it all happened.</p><p>“Messi is an emotion, and seeing him was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I wanted to share our own demigod of football with my son. A lot was riding on this particular day,” he told DH. </p><p>“I don’t want to ramble on the feeling of being monetarily scammed, but I definitely feel cheated in my soul. I didn’t expect such a letdown.”</p>
<p>The vandalism unleashed by angry football fans at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata on Saturday morning had turned into a political slugfest in West Bengal by evening, even as fans said they felt cheated.</p><p>While both the BJP and <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/congress">Congress </a>alleged mismanagement by the Trinamool Congress government, the ruling camp alleged that the entire chaos was precipitated by the saffron party.</p><p>Bengal BJP chief Suvendu Adhikari, besides writing to the Governor, alleged that fans were cheated on multiple fronts, including having to buy water bottles for Rs 200 because water from outside was not allowed. He said in a post on X, using the TMC’s oft-quoted poll slogan, that the “Khela Hobe” circus had turned into “a TMC loot-fest”.</p> .BJP's Suvendu Adhikari urges West Bengal Governor to order independent judicial inquiry into Messi event fiasco.<p>The BJP leader also demanded a 100% refund for every gallery ticket holder, the immediate arrest of the sports minister, fire minister and the organiser, and finally, Banerjee’s resignation.</p><p>Meanwhile, the TMC, on its official X account, shared a video that purported to show some Salt Lake stadium vandals shouting “Jai Shri Ram” and waving saffron flags. It alleged that the “sudden unrest” at the stadium raised “serious concerns, particularly in light of visuals” of “BJP-backed elements carrying saffron flags and raising provocative slogans, apparently attempting to create disorder and malign Bengal’s image”.</p><p>Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose was on Saturday evening "denied" entry into the stadium.</p><p>Bose described the denial of entry as an affront to the constitutional position of the Governor, and sought a reply from the authorities.</p> .<p>A Bengaluru-based IT professional, who had booked tickets well in advance and travelled all the way to Kolkata, despite being caught up in the IndiGo flight-cancellation fiasco, expressed disappointment with the event’s management.</p><p>“Today’s event shows the state of governance in the state. Every good thing is available to politicians and their bootlickers first. The common man was waiting for a glimpse from the stands,” he told DH.</p> .<p>Another fan, who attended the event with his family, rued the way the event went down, but thanked his stars that he had left before it all happened.</p><p>“Messi is an emotion, and seeing him was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I wanted to share our own demigod of football with my son. A lot was riding on this particular day,” he told DH. </p><p>“I don’t want to ramble on the feeling of being monetarily scammed, but I definitely feel cheated in my soul. I didn’t expect such a letdown.”</p>