The recent large-scale unrest at Kolkata's Salt Lake stadium surrounding a programme involving football icon Lionel Messi has unexpectedly reignited political debates, both online and offline, focusing on the legacy of the late Communist Party of India (Marxist) minister Subhas Chakraborty.
The Chakraborty Legacy: High-Profile Events and Controversies
Subhas Chakraborty, often remembered as a maverick within the CPM, is widely credited with pioneering high-profile celebrity events in West Bengal. His journey began with the landmark Hope '86 concert, conceived to showcase the newly constructed Salt Lake stadium—then the largest in Asia—as a premier venue for mega-events. According to his widow, Ramola Chakraborty, the event was a direct response to adverse publicity about Kolkata's law and order after a chaotic event at Rabindra Sarobar during Siddharth Shankar Ray's tenure.
Hope '86, inaugurated by then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and featuring top Bollywood artistes, was a massive success, drawing around 1.2 lakh people. However, it faced significant criticism from orthodox sections within the Left Front itself, who dismissed it as "bourgeois decadence" or 'apasanskriti'.
Maradona's 2008 Visit: Football Passion and Public Frenzy
Chakraborty's later decision to bring football legend Diego Maradona to Kolkata in 2008 was driven by Bengal's deep passion for the sport. Ramola Chakraborty revealed that her husband even learned Spanish for two months to communicate with Maradona, accompanied by bilingual aide Subhendu Sarkar. A photograph of their emotional bond later went viral, and Maradona sent a condolence letter after Chakraborty's death.
Yet, the 2008 visit was marred by serious organisational chaos. Contemporary reports detail a ruckus at Salt Lake stadium, attacks on media personnel outside Jyoti Basu's house by Chakraborty's supporters, and fans breaking barricades at Mother House. Some accounts suggested Maradona suffered bruises in the pushing and shoving, leaving him "traumatised." He reportedly refused to get out of his car for a long time at Mohun Bagan grounds and declined to take the stage.
Political Crossfire: CPM vs. Trinamool's Recollections
The recent Messi-related unrest prompted CPM leaders to post old photos of Chakraborty with Maradona on social media, criticising the current Trinamool Congress administration and its ministers, Aroop Biswas and Sujit Bose. The Trinamool Congress swiftly countered, alleging that during Chakraborty's tenure as sports minister, Salt Lake stadium and controversies were synonymous.
Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed criminals were arrested from the stadium in operations that were "no covert police action," hinting that a CPM bigwig may have tipped off police to embarrass Chakraborty. He contrasted the 2008 fiasco with the Trinamool government's hosting of Lionel Messi for a full 90-minute exhibition match against Venezuela in 2011 and the subsequent FIFA Under-17 World Cup at the same venue.
Ramola Chakraborty, defending her husband's record, stated that the frenzy to see Maradona was expected and that the police might have taken drastic crowd control measures. She emphasised that from the airport to the hotel, Maradona was greeted by massive but peaceful crowds. She concluded that while public excitement for icons like Maradona or Messi is natural, ensuring smooth organisation is ultimately the administration's responsibility, requiring full government support.
The debate, resurfaced by the Messi programme chaos, underscores how past political legacies and sporting events remain deeply intertwined in Bengal's public memory, with each party selectively recalling history to score contemporary political points.
