Kolkata, June 6: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has denied media reports that claimed he contacted Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Yusuf Pathan on behalf of Mamata Banerjee regarding his parliamentary seat. In a clarification issued to media organisations, Ganguly described the allegations as "untrue" and urged the media not to rely on rumours and speculation without verifying facts.
The clarification comes after a report published in Bengali daily Ananda Bazar Patrika claimed that Ganguly had approached Yusuf Pathan on behalf of Mamata Banerjee. According to the report, Pathan was allegedly asked to step down as the elected representative from the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency to make way for Banerjee to contest a possible by-election from the seat.
Rejecting the claims, Ganguly said he had never been asked by Mamata Banerjee to convey any such message to Yusuf Pathan. He stated that he neither approached nor contacted the former cricketer-turned-politician regarding resigning from his parliamentary position or any related matter.
"The aforesaid allegations are untrue. I would request the media not to fall prey to rumours and speculations without verifying the correctness of the facts printed and published," Ganguly said in his statement. He also expressed disappointment that the claims were published without proper verification.
Ganguly further said that the allegations showed a disregard for the truth and stressed that media organisations should exercise caution and cross-check information before publishing such reports. He added that since he never conveyed any message to Yusuf Pathan, the question of Pathan responding to such a request did not arise.
The former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president also clarified that he has never been involved in political matters with any of the individuals mentioned in the report. Through his statement, Ganguly sought to set the record straight and dismiss the speculation surrounding the issue.
