I only had tea and biscuits, no role in sports ministry: Manoj Tiwary slams TMC

After quitting TMC, Manoj Tiwary accused Arup Biswas of sidelining him in Bengal's Sports Department. He linked the Messi fiasco and blocked reforms to a culture of humiliation and drift.

In Short

• Tiwary said his ministerial role carried title but no real authority
• He claimed repeated public snubs convinced him to avoid the Messi event
• He blamed mismanagement for denying supporters a proper Messi appearance

A day after tendering his resignation from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) following the party's defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections, former cricketer and outgoing Minister of State (MoS) for Sports and Youth Affairs, Manoj Tiwary, has launched a scathing attack on the party hierarchy. In a detailed disclosure, Tiwary alleged that his tenure was defined by "insults and humiliation," claiming he was systematically prevented from discharging his duties by the senior Sports Minister, Arup Biswas.

Tiwary, who joined politics in 2021 with the ambition of overhauling the state's sporting infrastructure, described his ministerial portfolio as nothing more than a lollipop. He suggested that despite his electoral success, he was relegated to a ceremonial role with no functional authority.

"When I was made MoS after winning, I thought I would be able to bring a lot of development and improvement in this department," Tiwary said in a Facebook video on Wednesday.

"But what I saw was that Arup Biswas would not allow any good work to happen there. Why? Because the MoS post was just a lollipop given to me and I was kept aside. Other than having tea and biscuits, I had no work in the Sports Department."

THE MESSI MESS

The former Bengal cricket team captain specifically highlighted the controversial Lionel Messi visit in late 2025 as a turning point. The event, which was intended to be a landmark moment for Bengal football, ended in disarray when Messi departed the venue within minutes, as the mismanagement of the event came under the scanner. The fallout eventually led to the temporary resignation of Arup Biswas.

Tiwary revealed that he intentionally boycotted the event, having anticipated a disaster.

"You all saw the Messi incident. I already knew what the atmosphere was like. At every stage, they would insult me - they wouldn't call me onto the stage properly. Even during the final prize ceremony, I had gone to the ground, but they deliberately would not call me. They could not tolerate my presence there either.

"Experiencing those feelings again and again, I understood that if I kept going there, they would repeatedly insult and humiliate me. That's why, when the Messi episode happened – when Messi had come, as you all know – I did not go to the ground. I knew this kind of incident was going to happen."

He laid the blame for the international embarrassment squarely at the feet of his senior colleague.

"You all saw that because of Arup Biswas, football lovers across our state and across India could not properly see Messi, because Messi left within five minutes. Such a huge opportunity was wasted only because of Arup Biswas."

STALLED REFORMS

Beyond the personal friction, Tiwary's allegations point to a deeper policy paralysis within the state's sports administration. The former middle-order batter claimed that his attempts to utilise his international sporting connections to benefit Bengal's youth were met with insecurity and rejection.

Tiwary cited a specific proposal to bring Jamaican sprinting legend and Olympic gold medalist Yohan Blake to West Bengal to establish a 'Centre of Excellence'. Despite the project requiring a relatively modest investment of Rs 5 crore from a total sports budget of Rs 700 crore, the proposal was summarily dismissed.

"And I also want to tell you this – through my own connections, I had arranged for Johan Blake – you all know him, a world-famous track and field athlete, Olympic relay gold medalist alongside Usain Bolt, and also a Junior World Championship gold medalist – to come to Bengal and help create a Centre of Excellence hub here," Tiwary said.

"When I took this proposal to Arup Biswas, he did not allow it.

"I had even gone to the Hon'ble Chief Minister with this proposal, but she told me, 'No, you speak to Arup Biswas.' Because the Sports Minister above me felt insecure, he rejected it. My heart was completely broken."

The lack of a modern sports policy, Tiwary argued, has led to a "brain drain" of talent, with budding athletes forced to represent other states to find adequate support. "If you compare the sports policies of those states with our state's sports policy, then you will understand the difference in value. We could not stop the boys and girls from leaving."

Reflecting on his entry into politics, Tiwary admitted that he had initially hoped the TMC would provide a platform to prevent other athletes from suffering the struggles he faced during his own rise. He now believes his reputation was merely used for electoral optics.

"I realised that I had only been brought into politics to be used," he said.

"I thought a boy from the sports world coming into politics would make a big difference. But in reality, I saw something completely different."

The TMC leadership has yet to issue a formal rebuttal to Tiwary's claims, though party insiders suggest the timing of the allegations – coming immediately after an election loss – is politically motivated. For Tiwary, however, the departure marks the end of a frustrating five-year stint where he feels his primary contribution to the state's sporting future was curtailed by the very government he served.

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