KOLKATA: Last year's Jangalmahal Cup winner and runners-up are not featuring in the ongoing football tournament. These two teams are among the several football teams from the BJP-ruled gram panchayats left out of the tournament.
Some 72 men's and 71 women's football clubs are participating in this year's tournament that began on August 22. The numbers were 71 and 86 respectively last year. The sporting event was initiated by the state police to counter the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in the western districts of West Bengal
The BJP alleges that various clubs from Keshiyari, Goaltore, Salboni and Midnapore Sadar blocks of Paschim Medinipur district were not invited to the football tournament. The sports event has a huge following among rural residents in these parts of the eastern state.
Political analysts believe that the West Bengal government is keeping a tab on the clubs that are perceived as being close to or are funded by the BJP. Worse, they fear these clubs may no more get government funds.
The issue came to light when former champion Bhimchak Yuvak Sangh approached Paschim Medinipur Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria demanding explanation why it was left out despite being the winners in the previous edition of the tournament. “We are not upset that they have excluded us but we wanted to know the reason for our exclusion," Bhimchak Yuvak Sangh secretary Deepak Mahato said.
Runners-up Nonashole Bangabandhu Club has met with the same fate. The former winners belong to Saatpati gram panchayat and runners-up are of Garhmal gram panchayat - areas where the BJP did good results in the panchayat elections.
"This is not Jangalmahal Cup, it is Trinamool Cup. The ruling party decides everything in this tournament," BJP district president Samit Das alleged. His Trinamool counterpart maintains new clubs got chance in this tournament and "hat is what matters."
When contacted, the Superintendent of Police said he would look into the matter.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has earlier attempted to showcase the football tournament as an example of the restoration of normalcy in the LWE-affected districts. She had hailed the event as a 'model' for other LWE-affected areas of the country.