Kolkata: Amid speculation that cricketer Sourav Ganguly is joining BJP, the former Indian skipper on Thursday refused to make any comments while the party said there is no truth in it.
“No comments,” was his terse reply when Ganguly was asked by reporters whether he was joining BJP.
“I am not aware of what Harsh Goenka has tweeted. You please ask him. I have utmost respect for our Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Ganguly said.
Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Enterprises, tweeted on Wednesday, “Saurav Ganguly to join BJP. Big coup for the party in West Bengal. #Dada vs Didi.”
BJP National Secretary Siddharth Nath Singh said there was no truth in it. “There is no truth in the tweet of an industrialist stating that Sourav Ganguly is joining. However, we have great respect and regard for former captain of Indian cricket team. Few of our leaders also enjoy a very good relationship with him,” he said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Urban Development, Babul Supriyo said if Ganguly joins it would be a big boost for the party in the state. “He (Ganguly) is an icon of Bengal. If he comes then it will be a big boost for us in West Bengal. We have spoken about this before too,” he said.
When asked to comment on the tweet, the BJP leader said, “I don’t know. There was a talk about Sourav Ganguly joining BJP earlier.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last year nominated Sourav Ganguly along with many other personalities in his Swachh Bharat Abhiyan project.