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First cracks appearing in Mamata-intel bonhomie?
After coalition partner Congress, it is the turn of the civil society to fall out with Mamata Banerjee.
Activist writer Mahasweta Devi, an ardent backer of the West Bengal Chief Minister in her war against the erstwhile Marxist Government, on Monday wondered “if we have installed a fascist Government in West Bengal”.
The octogenarian social activist was addressing the media on behalf of civil rights organization, Association for Protection of Democratic Rights.
Curiously, a galaxy of civil society members joined the writer to register their protest against Banerjee’s alleged attempt to gag the popular voice. They included film personalities Aparna Sen, Kaushik Sen, writers Suchitra Bhattacharjee, singer and Trinamool MP Kabir Suman, poet Shankha Ghosh and actor Bibhas Chakrabarty.
The civil society rebellion brought immediate reactions from the Chief Minister who hit back in equally harsh terms calling the APDR “an agent of Maoists” and ruing “these people are taking advantage of Mahasweta Devi’s old age to mislead her.” On Kabir Suman, she said, “bringing a Maoist supporter like him in Trinamool Congress was a big mistake on our part.”
Barring a few members, the entire civil society had come out in open support for Banerjee’s land movements in Singur and Nandigram and had openly thrown their weight behind her in the run-up to both the Lok Sabha and State elections in which the Marxists had to accept humiliating losses.
However, Banerjee’s bonhomie with the civil society seems to have run its course.
The uproar was triggered after police refused the APDR permission to hold a three-day sit-in at the strategic Metro Channel in the heart of Kolkata.
“The sit-in demonstration was to press for our demand for immediate withdrawal of security forces from jangalmahal and release of political prisoners irrespective of their political affiliation apart from implementing development projects in the tribal areas. But the police refused to give us permission,” said APDR chief DP Roychowdhury.
Actress and film director Aparna Sen said, “Although we may differ on certain issues with APDR refusing permission to protest democratically is an attack on democracy.”
Refusing to share a word with the Chief Minister despite sharing a good friendship with her, Mahasweta Devi said, “This is a people’s government that has come to power after fighting the anti-democratic ways of another Government. If this Government also follows the same practices, it will lead me to believe that we have installed a fascist Government in the State.”
“Never in 64 years has a Government functioned so arbitrarily,” she said, inviting immediate rebuttal from Banerjee who promptly called the media to call APDR a “front organisation for Maoists”, adding, “I am closely watching them and many others who are backing” the Red ultras.
Backing the APDR, Kabir Suman said, “Banerjee, herself, had fasted at this spot for three weeks and I was present with her. How can she refuse permission now?”
The Chief Minister, who completed her sixth month in power on Sunday, has been drawing flak from a host of her allies including the Congress which held a rally on Sunday complaining against its “expansionist policy against a smaller partner” and large-scale violence against its workers by the Trinamool Congress.
After coalition partner Congress, it is the turn of the civil society to fall out with Mamata Banerjee.
Activist writer Mahasweta Devi, an ardent backer of the West Bengal Chief Minister in her war against the erstwhile Marxist Government, on Monday wondered “if we have installed a fascist Government in West Bengal”.
The octogenarian social activist was addressing the media on behalf of civil rights organization, Association for Protection of Democratic Rights.
Curiously, a galaxy of civil society members joined the writer to register their protest against Banerjee’s alleged attempt to gag the popular voice. They included film personalities Aparna Sen, Kaushik Sen, writers Suchitra Bhattacharjee, singer and Trinamool MP Kabir Suman, poet Shankha Ghosh and actor Bibhas Chakrabarty.
The civil society rebellion brought immediate reactions from the Chief Minister who hit back in equally harsh terms calling the APDR “an agent of Maoists” and ruing “these people are taking advantage of Mahasweta Devi’s old age to mislead her.” On Kabir Suman, she said, “bringing a Maoist supporter like him in Trinamool Congress was a big mistake on our part.”
Barring a few members, the entire civil society had come out in open support for Banerjee’s land movements in Singur and Nandigram and had openly thrown their weight behind her in the run-up to both the Lok Sabha and State elections in which the Marxists had to accept humiliating losses.
However, Banerjee’s bonhomie with the civil society seems to have run its course.
The uproar was triggered after police refused the APDR permission to hold a three-day sit-in at the strategic Metro Channel in the heart of Kolkata.
“The sit-in demonstration was to press for our demand for immediate withdrawal of security forces from jangalmahal and release of political prisoners irrespective of their political affiliation apart from implementing development projects in the tribal areas. But the police refused to give us permission,” said APDR chief DP Roychowdhury.
Actress and film director Aparna Sen said, “Although we may differ on certain issues with APDR refusing permission to protest democratically is an attack on democracy.”
Refusing to share a word with the Chief Minister despite sharing a good friendship with her, Mahasweta Devi said, “This is a people’s government that has come to power after fighting the anti-democratic ways of another Government. If this Government also follows the same practices, it will lead me to believe that we have installed a fascist Government in the State.”
“Never in 64 years has a Government functioned so arbitrarily,” she said, inviting immediate rebuttal from Banerjee who promptly called the media to call APDR a “front organisation for Maoists”, adding, “I am closely watching them and many others who are backing” the Red ultras.
Backing the APDR, Kabir Suman said, “Banerjee, herself, had fasted at this spot for three weeks and I was present with her. How can she refuse permission now?”
The Chief Minister, who completed her sixth month in power on Sunday, has been drawing flak from a host of her allies including the Congress which held a rally on Sunday complaining against its “expansionist policy against a smaller partner” and large-scale violence against its workers by the Trinamool Congress.
