– Shabana Javed
Kolkata: A statewide boycott has begun against artists and actors accused of abusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the RG Kar protests. Trinamool organisers have cancelled bookings for several artists who labelled the ruling party “rotten” earlier this week. The boycott has also spread to Winter Carnivals organised by various non-political clubs and organisations.
A list of boycotted artists has gone viral on social media. MP Kalyan Banerjee endorsed former MP Kunal Ghosh’s call to exclude these artists for their alleged disrespect. From Bankura-Purulia to North Bengal districts like Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Malda, as well as South Bengal regions such as Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and the Medinipur districts, the boycott is being implemented. A district council member from Bankura commented, “Just as it is the democratic right of these artists to protest, it is also our democratic right to exclude them from events.”
The opposition has condemned the ruling party’s actions.
The boycotted individuals include Sohini Sarkar, Sudipta and Bidipta Chakraborty, Ritwick Chakraborty, and others. BJP-affiliated individuals like actor Mithun Chakraborty and Kunal Sarkar are also on the list. Within Trinamool, actor-MP Dev and director-legislator Raj Chakraborty are under scrutiny for their perceived opportunism in collaborating with BJP leaders-actors.
Several artists have been accused of directly targeting the Chief Minister and demanding her resignation. Lagnajita Chakraborty has consistently criticised the CM, while Saheb allegedly made derogatory remarks about her in a WhatsApp group.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X have seen a surge in posts demanding the boycott of these artists.
