Messi Kerala visit row escalates as govt, Argentine FA trade blame; Opposition alleges waste of Rs 130 crore
On Saturday, reports claimed AFA official Leandro Peterson had accused the Kerala government of breaching the contract, a charge dismissed by Sports Minister V Abdurahiman as 'baseless', insisting that if the team skipped the October visit, it would be the AFA in breach.
The fresh twist has emboldened the Opposition Congress to go on the offensive, demanding that the government explain how a high-profile project, for which sponsors say they paid Rs 130 crore and the state spent lakhs on foreign trips, has spiralled into confusion, contract disputes and allegations of public money being wasted.
Abdurahiman had dampened football lovers' hopes earlier this week, saying the visit by the Argentina team was 'unlikely' to happen as planned.
As per some media reports, Leandro denied his side had breached the contract by postponing the tour to next year and instead pinned the blame on the Kerala government, though without detailing the alleged violations. The minister dismissed the reports and reiterated that Kerala was not interested in hosting the team next year.
Govt should come clean, says Cong
'If Argentina fail to visit Kerala in October, we will see it as a breach of contract and a case of cheating. We are actively trying to bring the team here as per the contract. When a country signs the contract and accepts the money in this, what else do we have to say,' he told reporters in Malappuram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
29 minutes ago
- Hans India
BJP extends support to disabled rights rally
Sathupalli: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from the Sathupalli Assembly constituency have extended their full support to the upcoming Disabled People's Maha Garjana scheduled for September 3 in Hyderabad. During a preparatory meeting held at JVR College grounds in Sathupalli, BJP leaders met MRPS founder and activist Padma Shri Sode Mandakrishna Madiga and honoured him with a shawl, expressing solidarity with the cause. The rally demands enhancement of pensions—₹6,000 for disabled individuals, ₹4,000 for the elderly, and ₹15,000 for those with severe disabilities. The BJP leaders criticised the Congress-led government for failing to implement these increases, despite promising them 20 months ago. They appealed to disabled persons and senior citizens across Sathupalli constituency and Khammam district to participate in large numbers and make the Hyderabad rally a success. Prominent attendees included Khammam Parliament convenor Namburi Ramalingeswara Rao, constituency convenor Veeramraju, town president Banoth Vijay, rural president Saali Shiva, councillor Jonnalagadda Naresh, former councillors Matta Prasad and Batta Shiva Sai Yadav, and Lakshminarayana.
Hans India
29 minutes ago
- Hans India
PM to launch Yellow Line Metro, Vande Bharat Express today
Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Bengaluru on Sunday to inaugurate the much-awaited Yellow Line of Bangalore Metro, and the Vande Bharat Express train between Bengaluru and Belagavi. As per the itinerary shared by the Chief Minister's Office, Modi will participate in three events during his nearly four-hour visit to the city. On landing at the HAL Airport here at 10.30 am, the Prime Minister will travel by helicopter and road to the KSR Bengaluru (city) railway station, where he will flag off Vande Bharat Express trains between KSR Bengaluru-Belagavi. He will also virtually flag off two more Vande Bharat Express trains between Amritsar-Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katri, and Ajni (Nagpur)-Pune. Modi will then travel by road to the RV Road (Ragigudda) metro station on the Yellow Line. Between 11:45 to 12:50 he will be flagging off Yellow Line (reach 5) and take a metro ride to the Electronic City station. From there Modi will travel to the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bengaluru, where at the institute's auditorium, he will be laying the foundation stone for Bangalore metro phase-3 and officially inaugurating the yellow line from RV Road (Ragigudda) to Bommasandra station. He will then travel by helicopter to the HAL Airport and fly back to Delhi at 2.45 pm. The 19.15 km yellow line from RV Road to Bommasandra of Bangalore metro with 16 stations has been built at the cost of Rs 5,056.99 crore. According to officials, the line is expected to ease traffic congestion in several heavily congested corridors like Hosur Road, Silk Board Junction, and Electronics City Junction. The Metro Phase 3, also known as the Orange Line for which the PM will be laying the foundation, will be 44.65 km and it will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 15,611 crore.
Hans India
29 minutes ago
- Hans India
Cong delegation submits complaint on ‘election fraud'
Bengaluru: A delegation of Congress leaders, led by party's Karnataka unit President D.K. Shivakumar who is also the Deputy Chief Minister, on Friday submitted a complaint to the Karnataka State Election Commission office here regarding 'electoral fraud' in Mahadevapura and several other constituencies. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, in reply to the representation, asked the Congress party to submit the documents related to the complaint along with the declaration/oath as per Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, so as to act on the complaint. In a major development to the election fraud allegations, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka V. Anbukumar on Thursday sought a signed declaration from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the issue. The declaration states that providing false information will be considered a punishable offence. The delegation included KPCC Working President and Rajya Sabha member G.C. Chandrashekhar, BDA Chairman and MLA N.A. Haris, and MLC Basanagouda Badarli. Speaking to media, Shivakumar said: 'We have submitted a request to the Election Commission to conduct a thorough verification of the electoral rolls across the entire state.'When asked about the Election Commission's demand for an affidavit from Rahul Gandhi, Shivakumar responded: 'What affidavit do they need? I and Rahul Gandhi ourselves are affidavits. After contesting and winning elections, we've already submitted affidavits. What more do they want? If we are lying, hang us. Has the Commission denied Rahul Gandhi's allegations? They are demanding an affidavit now only to delay things. The data we have was gathered through RTI.'
