With BJP's Asansol candidate Pawan Singh withdrawing his candidature for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election following "backlash", Trinamul Congress (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien on Sunday said the people of Bengal have won.
O'Brien accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "anti-Bengali" and slammed Singh, a Bhojpuri actor-singer, for "vilifying" Bengali women.
Singh withdrew his name from the Lok Sabha poll contest from Asansol seat in West Bengal on Sunday, a day after the BJP named him as its candidate from the constituency currently represented by TMC's Shatrughan Sinha.
In a post on X, Singh thanked the BJP leadership for his candidature but added that he will not be able to contest from Asansol "due to some reason", even as he did not specify the reason behind his decision.
Singh's candidature had drawn criticism from the TMC, which alleged that many of his songs were crude and depicted women, including those from the state, in a vulgar way.
O'Brien said, "PM Narendra Modi is anti-Bengali. He came here, lectured on women power and then gave ticket to someone who has vilified Bengali women." "That's 'Modi Ki Guarantee' - if you speak ill of Bengal and if you speak ill of women, they'll give you a ticket," he said.
TMC leader Sagarika Ghose said Singh had to step down because of the backlash against his "sexist misogynist videos".
"AITC (All India Trinamul Congress) impact! BJP Asansol candidate withdraws after huge backlash on the candidate's sexist misogynist videos. The BJP's 'nari shakti' call in Bengal now lies in tatters, revealed for what it is - hollow and meaningless," she said on X.
Meanwhile, O'Brien mentioned the upcoming TMC rally in Kolkata, and said, "We have against you the Jono Gorjan rally on 10th March." "They announced a list across the country and one name is now crossed out. The people of Bengal won," he said.
The TMC leader also referred to the pending MGNREGA dues for the state, and said, "He stopped the funds for Bengal for two years as an act of revenge. But how did Bengal react? West Bengal government has paid all the money themselves. It's quite clear, anti-Bengali, zamindar BJP..."
