Kalyan backs Kunal on boycott of artists who abused Mamata
Times of India | 4 January 2025
Kolkata: Trinamool on Friday stressed that party workers and functionaries would continue to shun actors and celebrities who had made personal attacks and abused CM Mamata Banerjee, TMC netas and workers in the name of RG Kar protests, in programmes hosted by them.
The statements came a day after TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee struck a discordant note on the issue, saying that neither the CM, he himself, nor (TMC state president) Subrata Bakshi spoke on this, and that he did not personally believe in shunning anyone.
Kunal Ghosh, the party spokesperson, told reporters: "There is a difference. We have never asked to boycott anyone. People have a right to protest. And RG Kar was a justifiable reason to protest. CM Banerjee protested against it, so did we. We also understand that celebrities or actors who are politically aligned with the opposition will attack us politically. We will respond. But there were a few who chose the protests to denigrate, abuse and personally attack CM Banerjee, us and party workers. Why would Trinamool workers host celebrities and actors who abuse us?"
Asked about Abhishek's comments, which did not endorse this, Ghosh said: "Abhishek is our party leader. He was out for treatment (during the RG Kar protests). He may have misunderstood the issue. If he seeks any clarification, I will explain. We are not asking all actors who protested to be shunned, but only against those who heaped abuses, denigrated the CM daily. This we will keep doing."
TMC MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee said: "Among Trinamool workers, all our emotions are centred around CM Mamata Banerjee. Why will we allow anyone (to perform) who insulted her and abused her in our programmes? And I did not see many leaders speaking out during the RG Kar protests. Kunal spoke, I spoke. Kunal also backed junior doctors who were being hounded out of medical colleges because they support Trinamool. I fought for them in court."
Education minister Bratya Basu said: "Abhishek is a much senior party leader than me. It is not my place to say whether he is right or Kunal is right, but whatever Mamata Banerjee's views are, they are my views too."
Basu added: "As a politician these are my views, but as an artist I would like to add that during the Left regime, my theatres were throttled and stopped no less than three times because I shared political stage with Mamata Banerjee. I did not crib then."