WEB DESK
Amid a massive backlash over the BJP fielding him from Asansol Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal, Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh has said he would not be contesting the election. “I thank the BJP leadership for trusting me and announcing my name as the candidate from Asansol, but I won’t be able to contest the election for some reason,” he said in a tweet in Hindi
With BJP’s Asansol candidate Pawan Singh withdrawing his candidature, 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.