Kanchan faces Tolly backlash after ‘return govt salary, award’ comment
Times of India | 3 September 2024
Kolkata: Uttarpara’s Trinamool MLA Kanchan Mullick’s remarks asking if protesting govt employees will accept their salaries, bonus and artists will return their awards, has resulted in sharp response from all quarters. While his long-time friend, actor Sudipta Chakraborty, has unfriended him, Sujan Mukherjee has cancelled his play with Mullick and Bangabibhushan awardee Pt Debojyoti Bose has questioned his “nonsense talk”.
Mullick was speaking at a protest meet in Konnagar where he said: “Our democratic country allows people to have their own opinions.However, I hear that many are refusing the Durga Puja grant, which is fine. But those who are protesting or speaking against the ruling party, are they still accepting their govt salaries? Or are they not? Will they accept the Puja bonus? And what about our artists who have received govt awards and such, will they return them? Let them say, ‘We are returning them’.”
Mullick’s own party member, sarod player Pt Debojyoti Bose, who won the Bangabibhushan award in 2022, did not support him. “It is his individual view. A public representative has to be more responsible with his choice of words. Kanchan has just engaged in nonsense-talk. This is damaging for the party. How can any artiste be expected to never protest if he has won an award? I have never been told that my Bangabibhushan comes with the price of staying mum,” Bose said.
Reacting to Mullick’s comment, Sujan Mukherjee cancelled ‘Magan Rajar Pala’ — a play written by Rudrapasad Chakraborty, directed by Mukherjee, and starring him and Mullick in the lead. Many, including actor Riddhi Sen, have recalled Mullick’s earlier controversial comment where a signage mentioning ‘drivers, media and bodyguards not allowed’ was put up outside his wedding reception venue.
Actor Sudipta Chakraborty took to social media to write: “My former friend/colleague Kanchan Mullick, I renounce you”.
Actor Ritwik Chakraborty wrote a limerick against Mullick while Sen took a sarcastic dig at him saying that if questioning the govt about injustice requires returning the govt salary, then, by the same rule, Mullick should immediately resign from any political position for his inappropriate remarks and return to school.