The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised concerns about the Trinamool Congress's choice of Shatrughan Sinha as its candidate from Asansol for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya criticized the decision, pointing out the presence of individuals with criminal records in both real and reel life within the TMC members.
Malviya, in a post on X, shared an old clip from one of Shatrughan Sinha's films and remarked, "Meet Shatrughan Sinha, TMC’s candidate from Asansol. TMC rank is full of rapists, both in real (likes of Shahjahan Sheikh) and reel life." He expressed surprise that Mamata Banerjee did not invite Sinha to participate in the International Women’s Day women empowerment march.
Joining the criticism, BJP state secretary Priyanka Tibrewal drew parallels between what she called "real and reel-life heroes" of the TMC. She emphasized the party's choice of candidates, stating, "Look at the similarity between the real and reel-life heroes of Trinamool. According to Trinamool, real-life heroes are people like Shahjahan- who raped women in Sandeshkhali, and no wonder their reel-life heroes are people like Shatrughan Sinha who rapes women in the movies."
Tibrewal also questioned the TMC's choice of candidates, claiming that many of them have pending cases against them. She pointed out, "TMC's list, when it has come out, most of them are tainted. And I say so. Why? Because cases are pending against them. They have given tickets to somebody like Mahua Moitra who was expelled from the parliament. No wonder we'll see similar results in the upcoming years.”
Earlier this month, Bhojpuri actor-singer Pawan Singh withdrew his candidacy for the Asansol seat, citing personal reasons. Singh's nomination had faced criticism from the TMC, claiming that his songs were crude and depicted women in a vulgar manner.
Shatrughan Sinha responded to the situation, referring to Pawan Singh's withdrawal as an internal matter of the BJP. The veteran actor clarified, "I don't know him (Singh) personally very well. But heard he is a singer, an artist, and some of my acquaintances know him."
Yesterday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has unveiled its list of 42 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. The lineup includes former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, nominated to contest from Berhampore against Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Firebrand leader Mahua Moitra is set for a re-nomination in the Krishnanagar constituency, and former cricketer Kirti Azad will run for the party from Durgapur.
Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata's nephew and the party's general secretary, is gearing up to contest from Diamond Harbour, a stronghold for the TMC. Notably, veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha has been named as the candidate for the Asansol seat.
Additionally, youth leader Debangshu Bhattacharya, known for his involvement in the 'khela hobe' campaign, has been chosen to contest from Tamluk.
