Just after the political situation in Bengal changed with the election results on May 4th, 2026, Manoj Tiwary has become even more critical of how things were run in West Bengal before. He says his plan for Yohan Blake was dropped, and the sports ministry was more about having tea and biscuits than actually doing any work.
Allegations sharpen after power shift
Manoj Tiwary, who was Minister of State for Youth Services and Sports from 2021 to 2025, has made a new video stating he was deliberately prevented from getting anything done. He says Aroop Biswas, a senior TMC leader, blocked his ideas because Biswas was jealous of how well-known Tiwary was as a cricketer.
In the video, Tiwary explains he was stopped from doing his job for five years, and he went into politics to improve sports facilities across all sports. He says the ministry mostly just had formal meetings, and was, as he puts it, about tea, biscuits, and not getting things done.
The Blake plan and the budget debate
His story focuses on his plan to get Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake to Bengal to be part of a high-performance training centre. He had contacted Blake directly and the idea was initially approved, but then stopped and “thrown away”, even though it wouldn’t have cost much compared to the total money the state had for sport.
Tiwary says the Blake plan would only have cost about Rs 5 crore, while the sports budget was Rs 700 crore. He spoke to the Chief Minister about it, and was told to speak to Aroop Biswas, and after that the project went nowhere. He thinks this was a big missed opportunity to motivate young athletes.
The 40-year-old wanted Blake to inspire young runners at schools and sports academies. He also says athletes are leaving Bengal because other states offer better prizes and support, and this is making Bengal fall behind in competition.
A ministry role reduced to tokenism, he says
Tiwary says being Minister of State was like getting a ‘sweet’ – it looked good but didn’t give him any real power to do anything. He claims approvals were delayed or refused, and things were done to make sure he couldn’t go ahead with his plans for new sports facilities.
He paints a sad picture of daily life in the department, saying most of it was about being hospitable to people and getting photos. He says the Yohan Blake situation is a good example of how chances were stopped, not developed.
Exclusion from marquee events and public friction
Tiwary also claims he was ignored at important events, including the Durand Cup. He was at the ground, but Aroop Biswas wouldn’t let him on stage, supposedly because Biswas couldn’t stand Tiwary’s popularity, and this added to the problems he was having getting his work done.
He says that Lionel Messi’s visit is another example. Tiwary didn’t go to the event after being repeatedly humiliated, and says sports fans were embarrassed by how the ceremony was managed. He claims Messi left after only 5-10 minutes, and blames Biswas for the disaster.
Escalating critique and political context
This video is after Tiwary said in an interview he was asked to pay Rs 5 crore for being allowed to stand for election as an MLA, but he refused. He also criticized the last government for not developing things and for corruption.
He says his work for Shivpur was rejected by the people at the very top. When he brought up local problems in a meeting of the cabinet, the Chief Minister quickly ended the conversation and didn’t even give him 20 seconds to explain.
These statements are being made now that the BJP has taken power in Bengal. The West Bengal Assembly election on May 4th, 2026, saw the BJP win 207 of the 294 seats, leaving the TMC with only 80 and ending Mamata Banerjee’s many years as Chief Minister.
What the charges signal for sport in Bengal
By focusing on someone as famous as Yohan Blake, Tiwary is asking whether the state wants to achieve great things, or just say they are. Comparing the Rs 5 crore Blake plan to the Rs 700 crore budget makes people question how the money was spent, and whether getting famous people involved was deliberately discouraged.
He also links his complaints to athletes leaving the state, and thinks the rules need to be changed to be more like those in other states. For the supporters and families of young sports people, his statements raise worries about whether Bengal missed a chance to improve its facilities and give athletes more opportunities.
Here are the core assertions, as laid out by Tiwary in his video and comments:
– Aroop Biswas blocked projects due to insecurity
– The Yohan Blake plan was initially approved, then halted
– The plan cost Rs 5 crore within a Rs 700 crore budget
– He was sidelined from events, including the Durand Cup
– He avoided Messi’s event after repeated humiliation
– The chief minister redirected his Blake proposal to Biswas
– He was asked for Rs 5 crore for an MLA ticket
Stakeholders and the road ahead
Those most affected by this are the athletes, coaches and people who run sport, as they need consistent rules and money. Tiwary says the changing of the rules has caused talented athletes to go elsewhere and has made Bengal less competitive, particularly in running.
His accusations also highlight the way the department is run. If what he says is true, decisions are being delayed because of politics, and political concerns are being put before the value of the sports programmes, even when (as he says) the amount of money is small compared to the total available.
A call for accountability, not theatre
Tiwary insists Bengal’s sport needs proper partners and things to be kept going without interruption, and not just ceremonies. He says his time in office shows how momentum was lost, and is centred on the chance to have Yohan Blake come to Bengal, which he believes was wasted.
Now that the new government is in place, his story will likely lead to demands for a clear explanation of how projects are approved and why so many good plans were stopped. For now, his video has made sure that sports policy – which isn’t often discussed in state politics – is a key part of the discussion after the election.
