Former Rajya Sabha MP and Mohun Bagan Club president Swapan Sadhan Bose issued a written apology on Thursday for his sexist comment after his club won the Calcutta Football League (CFL) on Wednesday.
As his club was on its way to registering a 2-0 victory against Customs and winning the CFL on Wednesday after eight years, reporters asked him how he was feeling. To that Bose, fondly called Tutu Bose, said, “Daughters were being born for the last seven years, suddenly a son has been born. How would you like it if that was the case with you? I have the same feeling.” Mohun Bagan went on to win the game but the reactions which his comments attracted outnumbered celebrations of the win.
As his comment attracted a lot of flak on social media, he was quick to tender an apology. On Thursday, in a written statement, Bose said he got carried away with emotion after the win which came after eight years and made the comments. “I did not want to say those. I did not intend to hurt anyone on a day when I was so happy. My words have hurt people who love us. I am sorry. I seek an apology from them,” the statement read.
He went on to express his sorrow and cited the examples of female members of his own family. “I have daughters-in-law and granddaughters at home. I understand the value of a girl child. Whether it is a girl or a boy the child is a successor of the family. I am withdrawing my statement,” he added.
Tutu Bose getting trolled on social media also brought a lot of embarrassment to Trinamool. His son Srinjoy Bose had also been the Rajya Sabha MP of the party from 2011 till 2015 after he was arrested by the CBI for his alleged connection with the multi-crore Saradha ponzi scam.
The Controversy
The Mohun Bagan president had compared Mohun Bagan’s CFL title victory with the happiness of ‘a son being born after having a daughter for seven consecutive years’.
