Kolkata, Jan 7: In West Bengal where football loyalties are inherited like surnames and club names are uttered with near-religious reverence, a linguistic slip by Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has kicked off an unexpected political derby, with the TMC playing a full-throated home game.
At a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday to announce that the Indian Super League (ISL) which was on pause due to the lack of a commercial partner, will resume from February 14, Mandaviya triggered a row by stumbling over the names of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, two institutions that define not just the city’s sporting soul but much of its cultural grammar.
As cameras rolled, the minister’s pronunciation briefly wandered offside. He paused, sought help, corrected himself and moved on. Social media did not.
“Mohun Began… East Began,” Mandaviya said, before correcting himself to “East Bengal” in a clip that soon went viral. The mispronunciation, phonetically resembling “baigan”, the Hindi word for eggplant, drew instant mockery online and sharp political criticism in Bengal.
Within hours, the moment became ammunition in the state’s ever-alert political ecosystem, where symbolism often travels faster than substance.
The TMC accused the BJP-led Centre of being culturally tone-deaf, arguing that misnaming clubs founded in 1889 (Mohun Bagan) and 1920 (East Bengal) was not a minor slip but a metaphor for a larger disconnect with the state.
Party leaders said the episode exposed unfamiliarity with institutions that shaped Indian football long before national leagues and television deals.
The barefoot Mohun Bagan footballers’ victory over a British regiment in 1911, they noted, still occupies a place in nationalist folklore, while East Bengal’s rise has long been associated with migration, struggle and resilience.
“These are two century-old clubs. Mohun Bagan is a national club and East Bengal symbolises fighting spirit. The Union sports minister cannot even pronounce the names of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal properly despite reading them,” TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, himself a member of Mohun Bagan club, said.
“Mohun baingan, East baingan. Clueless BJP’s sports minister who does not have a clue about legendary football teams Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Shameful,” TMC MP Sagarika Ghose posted on X, sharing the video clip.
The West Bengal BJP sought to play down the controversy, calling it an honest and inadvertent mistake made during an announcement focused on resolving a league-level crisis.
But in a politically charged state heading into another electoral cycle, the verdict was clear: you can restart the league, but misnaming the clubs is still a self-goal. (PTI)
