Veteran actresses Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure have rejected allegations by former Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) general secretary and actress Upasana Singh that they ran the association in a “dictatorial” and unfair manner, defending the functioning of the current executive committee.
Speaking at a press conference, Poonam, the association’s president, said she was deeply hurt by the allegations and wanted to put the “right version” of events before the public.
“I am very sad that the general secretary of the previous committee ruined CINTAA’s name. She defamed CINTAA. Such wrong things about CINTAA have never been said in our history. So, I am very sad about that,” Poonam said.
“We need to clear a few things. Because, until the right version reaches you, people will think that they are speaking the truth,” she added.
The dispute escalated earlier this month after 11 members of CINTAA’s 21-member Executive Committee resigned, citing a loss of confidence in the association’s functioning and calling for fresh elections.
Upasana, who was the association’s general secretary at the time, confirmed the resignations and said complaints had been submitted alleging that Poonam and Padmini had misused their positions. The complaints also raised concerns over alleged unfair decision-making, lack of consultation with the Executive Committee and the handling of official communications, including financial matters.
Upasana later accused Poonam and Padmini of running CINTAA in an undemocratic manner. She alleged that members who disagreed with them or did not say “yes, madam” were issued show-cause notices. Upasana and former CINTAA treasurer Deepak Parashar also alleged that control of the association had become concentrated around the two veteran actresses.
Padmini, CINTAA’s senior vice-president, rejected the “dictatorship” allegation and said decisions within the Executive Committee were taken through a defined process involving a quorum and majority voting.
“When we have meetings, when we have EC meetings, first of all, we need to have a quorum. A quorum of eight people. After that, our meeting can start. If there is a decision to be taken, it has to be taken by the majority,” she said.
She also questioned whether senior artistes associated with CINTAA could realistically be expected to blindly follow Poonam or her.
“And if I talk about dictatorship, do you think that senior actors, Pintu ji, Rakesh Bedi ji, who are sitting there, and Yashpal Sharma ji, and all the people sitting here… do you think that we can have a dictatorship?” Padmini asked.
“Do you see all these ‘yes, madam’ people? Don’t they have their own minds?” she added.
Padmini further asserted that the current CINTAA committee is legal, has not been dissolved and continues to function under the association’s constitution.