Tuesday, May 14

“Modi Is Anti-Bengali”: TMC’s Derek O’Brien On BJP Candidature Of Pawan Singh

Edited by Aishwarya Krishnan
"Modi Is Anti-Bengali": TMC's Derek O'Brien On BJP Candidate Pawan Singh's Withdrawal (image-facebook/Derek O'Brien)

The withdrawal of Pawan Singh’s candidacy comes amidst mounting criticism from TMC leaders and opposition figures over his past statements and actions, which have been deemed offensive and misogynistic towards Bengali women.

TMC leader Derek O’Brien lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of hypocrisy for espousing ‘Nari Shakti’ while endorsing a candidate who objectified Bengali women. He also accused the PM of stopping funds for the state for the span of two years “as an act of revenge. But then how did Bengal react? The West Bengal government has paid all the money themselves. So it’s quite clear…”

O’Brien tweeted, “This is Khela Hobe even before the khela begins,” quipping that the withdrawal marked the beginning of the ‘game’ even before it officially began. TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee described Singh’s withdrawal as a victory for “the indomitable spirit of the people of West Bengal,” hailing it as a testament to the resilience of the Bengali people.

TMC member Babul Supriyo suggested that Singh was pressured by the BJP to withdraw. Supriyo also pointed out that it was “absolutely impossible” that the party would name a candidate in their first list without taking their consent or a discussion with them. He added, “Even today morning we had BJP defending his candidature!! Now they admit it was an insult to Bengali women & Bengali sensibilities, that BJP never ever understood in the first place…They have been shown the mirror!”

Opposition leaders, including Congress’s Abhishek Singhvi and Trinamool’s Saket Gokhale, had previously criticized the BJP’s decision to nominate Singh. Singhvi expressed dismay at the content propagated by Singh, describing it as detrimental to democracy. Gokhale condemned Singh’s videos as vulgar and misogynistic, emphasizing the BJP’s misguided choice of candidate as “sickening and reprehensible”.


Veteran leader and former Governor Tathagata Roy made sure to criticise TMC, “Unlike TMC, where candidature is decided by the whims and fancies of one woman, BJP chooses its candidates on a systematic survey.” However, he also acknowledged his party’s mistake and called for an immediate “fresh look” at Asansol.