“Wherever the Paapi goes…”, After 'Panauti', Mamata Banerjee uses the 'Paapi' punch after India’s heartbreaking cricket World Cup loss

With months to go for the Lok Sabha battle in 2024, upping the ante, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has used the ‘Paapi’ (sinner) jibe for BJP following India’s loss at the ICC Cricket Cup finals on November 19. Her ‘paapi’ name calling follows the ‘panauti’ (bad omen) diatribe that had taken the internet by storm, something that also found mention in Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s political campaign in Rajasthan. While both leaders- Mamata Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi haven’t directly taken names, both have attached their insinuations and disgust to the ongoing discourse that started after PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the Cricket World Cup finals at Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.

“Team India would have won the World Cup had the finals happened at Eden Gardens in Kolkata or at Wankhede in Mumbai. Our boys played so well all throughout. They won every match and lost in the final. The ‘papistho’ (sinner) went there and we lost. Wherever the 'paapi' (sinner) goes, the bad omen follows. Sin spares none”, said Mamata Banerjee while addressing her party workers at a political event in Kolkata on Thursday.

Mamata Banerjee, TMC supreme alleged that BJP had been trying to saffronise every institution for politics and didn’t even spare the cricket team. “They made our players wear saffron jerseys. Imagine! In fact ahead of games, they were told that the blue jersey would go away. Our players had opposed and thus the blue jersey stayed but they added a touch of saffron to that jersey as well. From metro railway stations to public toilets, they paint everything saffron. The saffron belonged to sages and not to the BJP. People will reject them for this” she added.

The ‘panauti’ jibe sparked massive political showdown and debate where several BJP leaders slammed Congress for calling PM Modi a bad omen. IT cell from both parties had launched a virtual war since the loss of the Indian team, so much so, that BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya had jumped into it and wrote on ‘X’- “The year was 1982. India was playing Hockey finals against arch-rival Pakistan in the Asian games held in New Delhi. Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister was present in the stadium, watching the game. The Indian team lost to Pakistan 1-7. Indira Gandhi, in an exemplary show of leadership, walked out when Pakistan scored 5 goals against India. What does that make Indira according to Rahul Gandhi”

Rahul Gandhi recently campaigned in Rajasthan, evoking the 'panauti' fervor. A video of this went viral. "Do you remember…what did you say? Yes, 'panauti'…'panauti'…Our boys would have won the World Cup but 'panauti' went then and jinxed it…” said Rahul Gandhi to a cheering crowd.

Mamata Banerjee on Thursday didn’t mince her words against PM Modi while claiming that BJP is scared of their alliance name INDIA. “Ever since we came up our alliance they have come after the name of India as well. I ask Modi Babu how will you change the constitution of India”, she said.