Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency: During the Trinamool era, a rather peculiar statue was installed in front of the Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium). It depicted a footballer clad in shorts, with a ball—bearing the 'Biswa Bangla' logo—tucked at his waist. This installation sparked widespread controversy. Although the initial outcry did not immediately translate into concrete action, complaints regarding the statue in front of Yuba Bharati began pouring in from various quarters as soon as a change of government took place in the state. Consequently, that bizarre statue was removed from its spot right in front of the Salt Lake Stadium gates. Now, the question arises: which footballer's statue will be installed in front of Yuba Bharati to replace the previous one? The government has special plans regarding this installation!
Many had expressed their objection to the bizarre statue installed in front of Yuba Bharati Krirangan during the tenure of the state's previous ruling party. Shortly after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government assumed power in the state, Nisith Pramanik was sworn in as the Sports Minister. Immediately upon taking charge as Bengal's new Sports Minister, BJP leader Nisith made it unequivocally clear that he would not retain the controversial statue situated in front of Yuba Bharati. The Minister had, in fact, received complaints regarding this matter from various quarters. Acting on this, the bizarre statue was subsequently demolished using a bulldozer. Since then, the question has persisted: what will now be installed in its place?
According to sources, following the removal of the bizarre statue from the front of Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Minister Nisith held a round of meetings with high-ranking officials of the State Sports Department. These meetings focused on discussing which footballer's statue should be installed in front of the Salt Lake Stadium—the very heart of the city's footballing landscape. It was during these discussions that the names of legends like Chuni Goswami and P.K. Banerjee were proposed. However, while the initial intention was to install a statue of a specific footballer, the Sports Department observed that Bengal is home to a multitude of renowned footballers scattered across every nook and cranny of the state. Consequently, installing a statue of any single individual could potentially trigger further controversy. In light of this situation, the government has taken a significant decision regarding the installation of a statue in front of Yuba Bharati. Reliable sources reveal that this decision stems from the fact that Yuba Bharati is particularly renowned for being the home ground of the state's two footballing giants: East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. Moreover, since the name 'Yubabharati' is inextricably linked with these two clubs, it has been decided that—rather than a specific footballer—two statues will be installed in front of the stadium's entrance. One of these statues will be clad in an East Bengal jersey, while the other will wear a Mohun Bagan jersey. In essence, the State Government may implement this decision to honor the prestige of the matches played between these two giants of the *Maidan* at Yubabharati.