Chief Adhir Chowdhury hit out at the Mamata Banerjee-led party saying the former cricketer has been fielded to help the BJP hours after Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced Yusuf Pathan as its Lok Sabha candidate from West Bengal Congress stronghold Baharampur on Sunday.
Chowdhury on Yusuf Pathan’s nomination
Claiming that Banerjee has “sent a message to PM Modi” with this move, Chowdhury said: “In West Bengal, he (Pathan) is selected as a candidate to polarise the common man and to help the BJP, so that Congress can be defeated… Mamata Banerjee has proven today that none of the political parties of India should trust a leader like her… Mamata Banerjee fears that if she continues to be in the INDIA alliance, PM Modi will be unhappy. By separating herself from the INDIA alliance, she has sent a message to the PMO, don’t be unhappy with me, I am not standing to fight against the BJP.”
Chowdhury also said that Pathan should have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha or given a seat in Gujarat through the INDIA bloc. “If TMC wanted to honour Yusuf Pathan, they should’ve sent him to the Rajya Sabha instead of sending ‘outsiders’… If Mamata Banerjee had good intentions for Yusuf Pathan, she would have asked alliance (INDIA alliance) for a seat for him (Yusuf Pathan) in Gujarat,” he added.
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The TMC’s list of 42 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal featured some new faces. One of the major surprises was former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan being named as the TMC candidate from Bahrampur. Chief Minister Banerjee announced on Sunday, pitting him against Chowdhury in his (Chowdhury’s) bastion.
The TMC’s list of 42 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal featured some new faces. One of the major surprises was former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan being named as the TMC candidate from Bahrampur. Chief Minister Banerjee announced on Sunday, pitting him against Chowdhury in his (Chowdhury’s) bastion.
“As representatives of the people, we must uplift the poor and deprived, and that is what I hope to achieve,” he said on Sunday.
Yusuf’s younger brother Irfan Pathan, also a former cricketer, took to X to wish him. “Your patience, kindness, help to the needy, and service to people even without an official position can be easily noticed. I am confident that once you step into a political role, you will truly make a difference in people’s daily lives,” he said.
Yusuf Pathan now becomes the third player from the 2011 World Cup-winning team to join politics. He announced his retirement from all formats of cricket in 2021.
Pathan’s 2011 World Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh teammates have also joined politics.
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