Former India cricketer and outgoing Trinamool Congress MLA Manoj Tiwari on Tuesday said the “TMC chapter is over” for him, alleging that the party denied him a ticket from Howrah’s Shibpur constituency for refusing to pay Rs 5 crore. The 40-year-old former India batter and the highest run-getter in the history of Bengal cricket (10,195 first-class runs) was a Minister of State for Sports in the government led by Mamata Banerjee, whose 15-year tenure ended with a BJP sweep in the latest Assembly elections on Monday.
“Look, I am not at all surprised by this debacle. This was bound to happen when an entire party indulged in corrupt practices and there was no development in any sector,” Tiwary told PTI in an interview.
“Only those who could pay hefty amounts could buy tickets. At least 70-72 candidates this time paid around Rs 5 crore to get a ticket. I was asked, but I refused to pay. Just check how many of those who paid up have managed to win. As far as TMC is concerned, that chapter is over for me,” he declared.
Tiwary said he had no intention of entering politics even though he was offered a Lok Sabha ticket by the TMC in 2019. He eventually resigned, contesting and winning from Shibpur in the 2021 Assembly polls.
“At that time, I had played for Punjab Kings in the IPL and was still playing Ranji Trophy seriously when Didi (Mamata) wanted me to contest the Lok Sabha.
“I had politely declined, but before the 2021 elections, Didi once again called and told me, ‘Manoj, I have a message for you and Aroop will tell you.’ I was asked to contest from Shibpur, and I thought that I could make a meaningful change,” Tiwary recalled.
‘Paid from my own pocket for development work’
Tiwari alleged that the Trinamool Congress lacks internal democracy. “I have attended meetings where all TMC ministers were summoned. I was given a lollipop called MoS, which basically meant nothing. If I stood up and said, ‘Didi, I want to draw your attention to a certain problem,’ she would just stop us midway and say, ‘I don’t have time for you people.'”
Tiwary said the longstanding issue of failing sewage and drainage systems in Howrah district was not addressed despite his repeated efforts.
“Being a sitting MLA, I would run from pillar to post for drainage work in my constituency, but people who controlled Howrah Municipality for years without allowing elections to happen never cared.
“They would simply stall developmental work, which is very basic. I can tell you that some of the work I got done was not just from the MLA fund, but I also paid from my own pocket to complete projects.
“Every year, Didi would announce a master plan for the upgradation of the underground drainage system, but that was it—just lip service.”
On allegations that he extorted money
Tiwary has also had to fight perception battles, including allegations that he was involved in extortion from builders in his constituency. He laughed off the charge.
“Let me tell you that when I filed my income affidavit before the 2021 elections, I declared that I had Rs 20 crore in assets. I have played the IPL for 10 years, first-class cricket for 20 years, and was part of Indian squads for a good number of years. I don’t need extortion money. There were 7-8 local councillors who would regularly write to Didi. False allegations were leveled against. me,” Tiwari countered.
‘Aroop da was an insecure sports minister’
A cricketer of repute, Tiwary felt slighted by state cabinet minister for sports Aroop Biswas. He alleged that Biswas did not allow him to perform his ministerial duties due to insecurity.
“Aroop da doesn’t know the A, B, C, D of any sport. There would be functions where both Aroop da and I were invited, and I would not be called to the dais. There was one Durand Cup unveiling where my pictures were flashed on sports pages, and from the next Durand Cup onwards, I wouldn’t get any invite,” Tiwary alleged.
Tiwary said he was glad he did not attend the Lionel Messi event in Kolkata, which turned into a “royal mess.”
The poorly managed event led to vandalism at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium after a capacity crowd was denied even a clear view of Messi, as politicians and local administrators mobbed the icon, who was whisked away early due to security concerns.
“I knew something like this would happen and refrained from attending the event. I didn’t want to be part of a program where common people were taken for a ride. I would repeatedly ask Aroop da, ‘Dada, please introduce a sports policy as per the allocated budget.’ He never bothered,” Tiwari said.
Applied for Bengal Ranji coach’s job
Having passed his BCCI Level 2 Coaches Examination, Tiwary, who is currently an expert with a cricket website, wants to become the head coach of Bengal’s Ranji team.
“The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) invited applications for the post of head coach. I have passed my BCCI Level 2 exam with distinction and want to pursue serious coaching in the near future,” he concluded.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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