Congress MP Abdul Khaleque Becomes Meme, Claims 'Lionel Messi Was Born In Assam'

GUWAHATI: In a weird incident on Monday, Congress MP Abdul Khaleque claimed that Lionel Messi, the legendary Argentine football player, was born in Assam.

He wrote in a tweet that the player has some local connection with the Indian state of Assam. He also added that the Argentine player made the entire state proud with his victory in FIFA World Cup 2022.

In the Lok Sabha, Khaleque represents Assam, Barpeta district. After Argentina defeated France in the FIFA World Cup Final, Khaleque made these odd claims on Twitter.

"#Messi Congratulations from the core of heart. We are proud of you for your Assam connection," a tweet read by Khaleque.

The Congress leader responded, "Yes, he was born in Assam," when asked by Twitter user Aditya Sharma about his tweet. According to the sources, the tweets have been removed as of now.

He expectedly garnered widespread scorn on social media for his absurd statements. One Twitter user insulted the Assam MP by writing, "Yes sir, he was my classmate."

"I learned today that I was born in Assam," read the caption on a photo of Lionel Messi that was posted on Twitter by another user.

Earlier, Riju Dutta, a spokesperson for the Trinamool Congress, compared Argentina's win in the FIFA World Cup Final to that of his political party.

It's unclear if Khaleque meant what he said or was just joking around, but given what happened, netizens are guessing the former. Nevertheless, the two-time MLA clearly realised his error because he deleted the tweets shortly after.

Additional feedback on his since-deleted post included memes and even side-by-side comparisons of Lionel Messi and Sachin Tendulkar, with the latter's claim that Messi too has a "Maharashtra link" given that both players sport the number 10 on their uniforms.

According to sources, In the fiercely contested championship match on Sunday, Argentina defeated France. After the game was deadlocked at the end of the second half of extra time, Argentina won the contest 4-2 on penalties. 

Also read: Leo Messi Confirms 'No Retirement' After Winning FIFA World Cup

Also watch: