"Mohun Baingan, East Baingan": Trinamool Mocks Sports Minister's Flub

A mispronunciation by Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has sparked a political firestorm, with the Trinamool Congress accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government of disrespecting Bengal's cultural heritage.

During a press conference on the resolution of a crisis in the Indian Super League (ISL), Mandaviya mispronounced the names of two iconic Kolkata-based football clubs, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, as "Mohun Baingan" and "East Baingan"—words that amusingly translate to "eggplant" in Hindi.

The Statement and Context

During the event, Mandaviya outlined the government's efforts to revive the ISL season, which had been delayed due to disputes among stakeholders. He stated that the league would commence on February 14, featuring all 14 clubs, including the traditional rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.

However, while reading from a prepared script, the minister repeatedly stumbled over the names, pronouncing "Mohun Bagan" as "Mohun Baingan" and "East Bengal" as "East Baingan."

Video clips of the moment quickly went viral on social media, drawing laughter and criticism in equal measure.

Supporters of the minister and some neutral observers have downplayed the gaffe as an honest mistake, possibly due to unfamiliarity with Bengali pronunciation while reading quickly. One analysis noted that such errors are human and should not overshadow the positive outcome: Mandaviya's intervention helped resolve months of uncertainty in the ISL, ensuring the participation of all teams and boosting Indian football.

As of now, neither Mandaviya nor the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has issued a direct response to the backlash.

Mohun Bagan, founded in 1889, and East Bengal, established in 1920, are among India's oldest and most revered football institutions, symbolizing Bengal's deep-rooted passion for the sport. Mohun Bagan's historic 1911 victory over a British team in the IFA Shield is often hailed as a landmark in India's freedom struggle.

Trinamool's Sharp Jibe

The Trinamool wasted no time in seizing on the incident to lambast the BJP, framing it as evidence of "anti-Bengal" bias. In an online post from its official handle, Trinamool criticized Mandaviya for failing to "pronounce the names of Bengal's century-old iconic football clubs with the respect they deserve."

The post corrected the pronunciations and accused "Bangla-Birodhi (anti-Bengal) forces" of showing contempt for the state's institutions, adding that "football runs in Bengal's blood."

Trinamool's Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose echoed these sentiments in her own X post, calling the minister "clueless" and labeling the BJP as "saffron vulgarians" who would be "wiped out" in Bengal.