Kolkata/IBNS: "I am an individual... I will go wherever I feel like," said former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly after he faced flak from various quarters for his recent Spain visit with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Kolkata, Ganguly said, "I am an individual. I am not an MLA, MP or Councillor. I have no political attachment. I will go wherever I feel like."

"I am not answerable to anyone. I will go wherever I feel it's good. I get invited by the world. There is no difference between Spain, Kolkata, Delhi," the former Indian cricket board (BCCI) president added.

Ganguly, who is often linked to various political parties, announced an investment in West Bengal's Midnapore district from Spain where Banerjee went to attract foreign business for her state, which has been criticised for poor investments in the private sector for several decades now.

The sporting icon has promised to build a steel plant in Salboni, where Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group had planned to build a similar plant a few years ago.

"It will be completed within 16-20 months," Ganguly told the media on Thursday.

Photo courtesy: IBNS File

Following his announcement from Spain, Ganguly was slammed by various political parties including Banerjee's prime opponent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for travelling to Spain to announce an investment in his own state.

Many have equated Ganguly's Spain visit with him cosying up with the state's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Prior to the 2021 assembly elections, the cricket great was rumoured to be joining BJP and become its Chief Ministerial face. However, the rumour fell flat with Ganguly not joining politics.

Earlier this year, the southpaw, who is a massively popular face in West Bengal even 15 years after his retirement from international cricket, was linked to BJP after he was announced the brand ambassador of the saffron party-led Tripura.