West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that the slogan ‘ Khela Hobe ’ (Game is on) will soon reverberate in every State across the country.
“ Khela Hobe slogan has become very popular. We have to make it a permanent slogan. Khela Hobe was raised in Parliament. It will reverberate in every State and the entire country,” she said at an event at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.
Khela Hobe slogan had become immensely popular during the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls and was raised by the Trinamool Congress at all meetings and events of the party.
The Trinamool Congress chairperson’s statement came on a day when the party’s general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was in Tripura trying to expand the party’s footprint in the State. Ms Banerjee had visited Delhi last week and met leaders of several Opposition parties .
The Chief Minister had launched a scheme Khela Hobe where about one lakh footballs would be distributed across the State. She said a song should be composed on the slogan.
She said that August 16 would be observed as “Khela Hobe Dibas” across the State. The Chief Minister also spoke about the development of sports infrastructure in the State and said funds had been allocated to clubs for extension of sports activities.
East Bengal in ISL
Ms Banerjee assured fans of East Bengal that the club would play the upcoming 2021-22 season in Indian Super League (ISL).
There were reports of East Bengal officials having certain differences with its new financial patron that is threatening its existence in the country’s top football league, the ISL. The Chief Minister was instrumental in securing financial support for the club, which had appealed to the high office after failing to secure a sponsor to fund its aspirations of playing in the ISL.
“This year also I want East Bengal to play in ISL….I will request all parties to negotiate, and everything will be okay. Taking responsibility for five years is also not a joke. The investor has to spend close to ₹50 crore. Last time, we had convinced them to come and invest in the club,” she added.
