Manoj Tiwary set to hold ‘angry young man’ persona on political pitch

Manoj Tiwary refers to himself in third individual today, he additionally calls Mamata Banerjee “Banglar agni kanya” – Bengal’s firebrand girl. The former India cricketer, the son of a Class IV Eastern Railways worker who grew up in a single-room, tinned roof hut in Howrah, is studying the ropes of politics – his second large leap in life.
Named Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from Shibpur in Howrah for the forthcoming Bengal meeting polls, the cricketer-turned-politician says he had acquired a proposal to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, however issues didn’t work out. “This time after I got the call from Didi, there were no two thoughts about it. After all, agni kanya Mamata Banerjee amake call korechilen (had called me),” he tells The Indian Express.
Called home cricket’s indignant younger man, Tiwary has had a historical past of run-ins with rival gamers, umpires, Indian Premier League franchise house owners and directors. An on-field spat with Gautam Gambhir, questioning the presence of a nationwide selector within the dressing room, and an indignant Twitter publish on being sidelined by his franchise, the one-time Bengal Ranji captain isn’t recognized to let feelings bottle inside him.
Of late, he has been important of the central authorities and was among the many uncommon cricketers to assist former Test opener Wasim Jaffer when he confronted allegations of communalising cricket as Uttarakhand head coach.
“Manoj Tiwary will continue to call a spade a spade. When everybody is deserting Didi, those who were in the party for so long and now are running away, I didn’t want to take it lying down. This is in my blood. I will stand by a person who gives her everything for Bengal. I always wanted to work for people and contribute to society in this difficult situation,” says the 35-year-old who had been considering his future after a knee damage noticed him miss the just-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy.

আপনজনের ভীড়ে আমি। এই বন্ধন আরো দৃঢ় হোক। সকল সমর্থকদের ভালোবাসা আমার কাছে বড়ো প্রাপ্তি। এই ভালোবাসার রেশ আমাদের জয় আনবেই। মা মাটি মানুষ জিন্দাবাদ।#DidiRevealsTheMeans #AssemblyElection #WestBengal #JoyBangla pic.twitter.com/n8p2sjbdgB
— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) March 14, 2021
Tiwary by no means obtained a chance to play Test cricket. He performed simply 12 ODIs and three T20Is and after scoring his maiden ODI hundred in opposition to the West Indies in Chennai, wasn’t given a recreation for the subsequent seven months. He has referred to as this a interval of frustration and anger.
Not hiding feelings
After being snubbed on the IPL public sale three years in the past, Tiwary took to Twitter and wrote: “Wondering wat went wrong on my part after getting Man of a match award wen I scored a hundred 4 my country and got dropped for the next 14 games on a trot ?? Looking at d awards which I received during 2017 IPL season, wondering wat went wrong ???”
In 2013, after he was overlooked for a Kolkata Knight Riders recreation in opposition to Mumbai Indians and requested to remain on the workforce lodge, Tiway’s tweet – “2day is d worst day in my cricketin career…” – would go viral. Later, he would say that his “account was hacked”.
In May final 12 months, Tiwary took severe exception to a KKR’s throwback tweet about their 2012 title triumph the place he wasn’t tagged. Once once more, he would let the world know that he was damage. “Yes I, along with others have too many memories, emotions and that will remain forever but after seeing this tweet where u all forgot to mention n tag me and @Sah75official is insulting and this mrng tweet of urs will remain close to every knight Rider’s #disappointed,” he posted.
“Manoj will not compromise. That’s not in his nature. He asked for my suggestion before joining politics and I told him to walk the road of forthrightness. He has a reputation to carry, the image of a good human being at the foremost. Politics can damage that but I know Manoj for over two decades now and believe he will never compromise. If things don’t fall into place, he will quit politics,” Manabendra Ghosh, Tiwary’s boyhood coach, exudes confidence.
Aware and lively
There’s at all times been a life outdoors cricket for Tiwary, be it his shut proximity to the Bengali movie trade or his dabbling with jingles on social media. He reads extensively and appreciates artwork.
“Politics, too, has always been a subject of interest for me. Farmer suicides pained me. Migrant workers walking 200 kilometres in the middle of a nationwide lockdown shook me to the core. I want to stand by our people and Didi has provided me with a bigger stage,” Tiwary says. Revert to a fairly latest tweet on farmers’ protest: “When I was a kid, I never saw a puppet show. It took me 35 years to see one”.
READ | ‘A new journey begins’: Cricketer Manoj Tiwary joins TMC
“Adaptability is his biggest strength,” reckons former Bengal off-spinner and Tiwary’s erstwhile teammate Saurasish Lahiri. “Manoj is very knowledgeable. He is a very cool-headed guy, very calm and composed. Very thorough about his job. At the same time, he is a very witty guy. He will always give the punchline.”
“Manoj loves to take responsibility. He is very hardworking,” Bengal senior workforce head coach Arun Lal noticed.
Tiwary’s long-time Bengal dressing-room mate and neighbour on the Active Acres housing advanced off the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, Ashok Dinda too is within the electoral battle however within the rival camp. The pacer is contesting on a BJP ticket from Moyna. “He is my friend. I believe it will stay like that off the political field,” Tiwary predicts.