Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has issued a clarification rejecting claims made in a report published by a media organisation on June 4, calling the allegations against him "incorrect and untrue".
In a letter addressed to media organisations and dated June 6, Ganguly responded to a front-page article that allegedly linked him to political communications involving Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Denies approaching Yusuf Pathan
According to Ganguly, the report claimed that he had approached Yusuf Pathan on behalf of Mamata Banerjee and conveyed a message asking the Trinamool Congress MP to resign from his parliamentary seat.
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Refuting the allegation, Ganguly wrote, "In the aforesaid article, it was erroneously alleged that I had approached the sitting parliamentarian from the Baharampur Lok Sabha parliamentary constituency, Yusuf Pathan on behalf of Mamata Banerjee, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal."
He said the article further alleged that Pathan had refused to act on the message allegedly conveyed through him.
'The allegations are untrue'
Ganguly categorically denied the claims and urged media organisations to verify information before publication.
"The aforesaid allegations are untrue. I would request the media not to fall prey to rumors and speculations without verifying the correctness of the facts printed and published."
He also expressed concern over what he described as a lack of verification before the article was published.
"The allegations in the article, in so far as they concern me, are in reckless disregard of the truth."
Says he has never been involved
The former cricketer further stated that he was never asked by Mamata Banerjee to convey any message to Yusuf Pathan and had never contacted the MP regarding the matter.
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"It is thus necessary to place on record that I was never requested/asked by Mamata Banerjee to convey any message from her to Yusuf Pathan, whether to step down from his parliamentary seat, as alleged or otherwise at all."
He concluded by stating that he had never been involved in political matters connected to the issue.
"I have never been involved in political matters at any stage with any one concerned."
