"Paapi went and they lost," After Rahul Gandhi's 'Panauti' remark, now Mamata Banerjee takes aim at PM Modi for India's World Cup loss
Nov 23, 2023
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 23 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday took a veiled jab at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Indian cricket team's recent World Cup final loss.
"Team India would have won had the finals happened in Kolkata (at Eden Gardens) or at Wankhede (in Mumbai). Our players were made to wear gerua (saffron). The players resisted, so India team did not have to wear saffron jersey during matches," Mamata said.
Mamata Banerjee while addressing Trinamool Congress workers at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata said, "They were making our players wear saffron jerseys. Our players opposed changing their blue jerseys, so they added a touch of saffron to the blue jersey."
"Indian cricketers played very well that they won all the matches but in the last match they (PM Modi and Amit Shah) went to watch," Mamata Banerjee said.
Continuing her tirade, the chief minister without taking the name of anybody said, "Wherever the paapi (sinners) go, they take along their sins. One must not forget the saying, paap baap ko bhi nai chorta (Sin spares none)."
India lost to Australia at the ICC World Cup final held in Ahmedabad on November 19. Earlier Rahul Gandhi had suggested that India had lost the match as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in attendance. The BJP has demanded action by the Election Commission against Gandhi for his comment.
Also, in her very first remarks on the allegations of cash for query levelled against party MP Mahua Moitra, Mamata claimed that the BJP was planning to expel the latter from the Parliament.
"Their (BJP's) plan is to remove Mahua Moitra (from Lok Sabha). This will help her become more popular before the elections. What she used to speak inside (Parliament), now she will speak outside..." the West Bengal Chief Minister said.
The chief minister said that Mahua's expulsion from Lok Sabha will only help the MP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Mamata also lashed out at the BJP and said that she has never seen such a cowardly party. "We kept our alliance's name as INDIA, the next day, they changed the name of the country to Bharat," she said.
Further, Mamata Banerjee targeted Governor CV Ananda Bose and said, He lives a colourful life and nothing else. He didn't complete his work properly, not a single bill passed. Not Hitler, but a new jamindar sitting here in a chair."
