Chief Minister of Bengal asks CAB to erect bust of Jagmohan Dalmiya

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) to erect a bust of former BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya. She also said the Dalmiya’s contribution the sport cannot be forgotten. The CAB has a proposal to install Dalmiya’s bust near Dr BC Roy Club House at Eden Gardens entrance but the work is pending with the Ministry of Defence, the custodians of the land.

The Chief Minister also compared Dalmiya’s stature with former Indian footballer Gostha Pal and said that both had made similar impacts in the respective field of sport. The CAB president Sourav Ganguly too backed the proposal and said that they are trying to figure out a way to erect a statue once they get a nod from the Army.

“The way we cannot forget Gostho Pal in football, we cannot forget Dalmiya in cricket,” Mamata, who was the chief guest at the CAB annual awards, said in her address as per quotes on Indian Express. The manner in which he has worked for CAB and took Bengal cricket forward we can never forget his contribution,” she said of Dalmiya, who died as BCCI President in the year 2015.

Mamata also mentioned about the U-17 World Cup and the matter of pride that Kolkata would host the U-17 Football World Cup final in October. “It’s a matter of pride. We will get to see the future of world football. This is a huge gain for Kolkata. Sport is part of our culture,” he said. The Chief Minister was gifted a personalised wall clock by CAB. The FIFA U-17 World Cup will take place from October 6 to 28. The Indian team has been drawn in Group A alongside USA, Colombia and Ghana. Mexico became the first host nation to win the U-17 World Cup in 2011. The high-profile event will give a huge boost to the sporting structure of the nation.