Cricketer-turned-politician Manoj Tiwary on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress leadership, citing football superstar Lionel Messi’s brief visit to Kolkata and the handling of the Rs 700-crore sports budget as examples of “administrative ego and corruption” during his tenure.

The former Minister of State (MoS) for Sports alleged he was sidelined in the department and barred from taking up “actual work.”

His remarks came after the BJP’s Assembly poll sweep in the state.

Tiwary said he was “repeatedly and forcefully” drawn into politics in 2019 to give the party a “political edge” but was sidelined later. Describing his ministerial role, Tiwary said, “I was given a lollipop of MoS. The Sports Department had no work other than having tea and biscuits. I was never allowed to undertake any actual work.”

In a Facebook Live video, Tiwary said he skipped Messi’s state event, claiming he had a “premonition” of humiliation.

“Because of Aroop Biswas, football enthusiasts were denied even a glimpse of Messi. He departed after a mere five minutes—a monumental opportunity squandered solely because of one man,” he said.

“The sole purpose of the event was for certain individuals to have their own photographs taken,” he added.

Tiwary earlier shared a specific instance claiming that a world-class track and field event he proposed was stalled despite a Rs 5-crore allocation. “The state sports budget is Rs 700 crore, I have no idea where that money has vanished,” he pointed out.

He further alleged that despite his efforts to address the exodus of athletes to other states due to “incompatible policies,” he was met with “cold indifference”. “I approached the chief minister on numerous occasions… she consistently refused to grant me an audience. When I finally managed to approach her, Mamata Banerjee retorted, ‘Do I have nothing better to do?’ She simply told me to talk to Aroop Biswas,” Tiwary alleged.

Tiwary congratulated the BJP on forming the government and said he was relieved at the TMC’s exit. He said “dreams of better facilities for youth were shattered” by a government working for “self-interest.”

He added that his work in Shibpur and use of MLA local area development funds were executed with “remarkable speed,” citing District Magistrate’s data. “Whatever God ordains, he ordains for the best. The fact that this corrupt government has been cast aside is precisely what they deserved,” Tiwary said.

However, former minister Aroop Biswas is yet to respond to the allegations.